CHICAGO (AP) — Yvonne Staples, whose voice and business acumen powered the success of her family's Staples Singers gospel group, has died at age 80.
Staples died Tuesday at home in Chicago, the Chicago funeral home Leak and Sons said. Yvonne performed with her sisters Mavis and Cleotha and their father Pops on hits such as "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There," their first No. 1 hit, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Yvonne Staples wasn't as interested in singing as the rest of her family but she stepped in when her brother Pervis left for military service, said family friend Bill Carpenter, who is author of "Uncloudy Day: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia." Yvonne Staples also helped her father with business tasks, Carpenter said.
