American singer-songwriter Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph, who lived from November 8, 1947, until July 12, 1979, was best known for her 1975 hit “Lovin’ You” and her four-octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range.
She is renowned for her usage of the whistling register and has been dubbed the “Queen of the Whistle Register” by the media. Riperton was raised in Chicago’s South Side Bronzeville neighborhood where she was born in 1947.
She attended Chicago’s Abraham Lincoln Center as a child to study ballet, drama, and music. She provided the lead vocals for the Chicago-based female group the Gems when she was a teenager.
Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul band Rotary Connection from 1967 to 1971 while he was a student at Chess.
What was the cause of Minnie Riperton’s death?
She was given the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter, who gave it to her there. At the age of 31, Riperton passed away from breast cancer on July 12, 1979.
