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Rosalind Ashford from the Motown group Martha and the Vandellas has died at the age of 83.
The Dancing in the Street hitmaker died of natural causes on Tuesday in Redford, Michigan, the Detroit Free Press reported.
She is survived by her son, Damon Holmes, four grandchildren and a daughter-in-law.
Lead singer Martha Reeves paid tribute to her bandmate in a social media post on Thursday.
‘I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rosalind Ashford,’ Reeves, 85, started an Instagram post.
‘Rosalind played an important part in the early days of Martha and the Vandellas,’ she continued.
Rosalind Ashford from the Motown group Martha and the Vandellas has died at the age of 83. Pictured in 2013
The Dancing in the Street hitmaker died of natural causes on Tuesday in Redford, Michigan, the Detroit Free Press reported. Pictured circa 1965
‘Her voice will forever be with us through our great recordings together, and she will be missed, but never forgotten. Our Motown Family has just gotten a little smaller. My heart is heavy.’
Reeves shared a carousel of old and more recent photos alongside her tribute post.
Ashford was with the group from 1957, when they were called the Del-Phis, to 1969.
The Detroit-raised singer started the group with Annette Beard and Gloria Williams before Reeves joined a few years later and they became the Vels.
Berry Gordy later signed the quartet to Motown Records and renamed them the Vandellas.
They went on to sing backing vocals for Marvin Gaye and later enjoyed hits such as Heat Wave, My Baby Loves Me, Quicksand and Nowhere to Run.
Reeves’ social media post comes as the Detroit Free Press reports that she and Ashford made up recently despite navigating a fraught relationship since Ashford left the group in 1969.
‘I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rosalind Ashford,’ Martha Reeves, 85, started an Instagram post on Thursday
Martha Reeves (L) and the Vandellas pose for photographs after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York
Ashford and Annette Beard perform during It's All The Way Live With Levi: 50 Years And Still Going, a tribute to Levi Stubbs Of The Four Tops at the Roostertail Nightclub in Detroit, Michigan on February 25, 2004
Martha and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
Ashford reunited to perform with Beard over the years, including for the It's All The Way Live With Levi: 50 Years And Still Going event in February 2004.
The event was a tribute to Levi Stubbs Of The Four Tops at the Roostertail Nightclub in Detroit, Michigan.
Ashford was pictured attending the Motown Family Night on Broadway at Motown: The Musical at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre in New York City in May 2013.
The City of Detroit also paid tribute to the star on Thursday, noting how her ‘voice helped shape the sound of Motown.’
‘We send our condolences to her family, friends and all who loved her music. Her voice and legacy will forever be part of Detroit,’ the Facebook post read.
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