Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was a singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single “Lovin’ You” and her four-octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range.  She is also well known for her use of the whistle register and has been dubbed the “Queen of the Whistle Register” by the media.

Riperton was born in 1947 and grew up on Chicago’s South Side in the Bronzeville neighborhood. She studied music, drama, and dance as a child at Chicago’s Abraham Lincoln Center. She sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group the Gems when she was a teen. Her early association with Chicago-based Chess Records provided her with the opportunity to sing backup vocals for a variety of established artists including Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul band Rotary Connection from 1967 to 1971 while at Chess.

Riperton reached the pinnacle of her career with her No. 1 single “Lovin’ You” on April 5, 1975. The single was the final single to be released from her 1974 gold album Perfect Angel. Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 1976, and she underwent a radical mastectomy in April. Cancer had spread by the time she was diagnosed, and she was given about six months to live. Despite the diagnosis, she continued to record and tour.

She was one of the first famous people to publicly announce that they had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but she omitted the fact that she was terminally ill. She started serving as the American Cancer Society’s spokesman in 1977. She was given the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter, who gave it to her there. At the age of 31, Riperton passed away from breast cancer on July 12, 1979.

Minnie Riperton parents: Meet Thelma Riperton, Daniel Riperton

Riperton was born in Chicago, the daughter of Thelma Inez (1911-2005) and Pullman porter Daniel Webster Riperton (1898-1991). She grew up in a musical family as the youngest of eight children.

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