Florence Ballard

Florence Ballard
Ballard in 1965
Born
Florence Glenda Ballard

(1943-06-30)June 30, 1943
DiedFebruary 22, 1976(1976-02-22) (aged 32)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Resting placeDetroit Memorial Park Cemetery
Other namesFlorence Chapman
OccupationSinger
Years active1959–1970, 1975–1976
Spouse
Thomas Chapman
(m. 1968)
Children3
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
LabelsABC

Florence Glenda Chapman (née Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-one hits. After being removed from the Supremes in 1967, Ballard tried an unsuccessful solo career with ABC Records before she was dropped from the label at the end of the decade.

Ballard struggled with alcoholism, depression, and poverty for three years. She was making an attempt at a musical comeback when she died of a heart attack in February 1976 at the age of 32.[1] Ballard's death was considered by one critic as "one of rock's greatest tragedies".[2] Ballard was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes in 1988.

  1. ^ "The Death and Life of a Dream Girl" Ebony, February 1990, p. 164.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Richie (2005). The Supremes. In Allmusic. Ann Arbor, MI: All Media Guide.

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