Mary Weiss, Shangri-Las singer, dead at 75
Written by worldOneFm on January 21, 2024
Mary Weiss, lead singer of the Shangri-Las, died Friday in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 75.
Miriam Linna, founder of Weiss’ label, Norton Records, confirmed her death to the Associated Press.
The “Leader of the Pack” musician’s cause of death was not immediately known.
Weiss was 15 years old when she formed the band in 1963 with her sister, Betty, and friends from school, twin sisters, Mary-Ann and Marguerite Ganser.
The New York natives released their debut single, “Simon Says,” the same year, and followed up with “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” which featured Billy Joel on the piano.
The Shangri-Las, who were named after a restaurant in Queens, reached the Billboard top 5 in 1964 with the hit song.
“Remember (Waling in the Sand)” would later be covered by Aerosmith and then reemerge among social media users as a top TikTok song.
Weiss’ “Oh No” chorus is one of the platform’s most sampled songs.
The pioneering all-female group disbanded in 1968.
By Tracy Wright | Fox News
