On this date in 1947 Minnie Julia Ripperton was born in Chicago, IL. Ripperton is perhaps best-known for her 1974 smash hit, "Loving You," and for her tremendous vocal range. In 1976 Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a modified radical mastectomy. Though she was given just six months to live, she continued recording and touring, and in 1977 she became spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. She passed away in her husband’s arms on July 12, 1979, at 31 years of age from complications from cancer.

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