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Mary Weiss, Shangri-Las singer, dead at 75
By Tracy Wright
Published 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.
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Mary Weiss, lead singer of the Shangri-Las, died Friday. She was 75. (Getty Images)
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.
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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.
Weiss (middle) was just 15 years old when she created the band with her sister and classmates. (Gilles Petard)
The Shangri-Las, who were named after a restaurant in Queens, New York, reached the Billboard top 5 in 1964 with the hit song.
"Remember (Walking 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 Shangri-Las were known for "Give Him a Great Big Kiss" and "Leader of the Pack." (Getty Images)
The pioneering all-female group disbanded in 1968.
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She returned to music once again four decades later with her solo debut album, "Dangerous Game."
"I just want to have fun now. And I’m going to. People can take advantage of you in your youth," Weiss told New York magazine at the time. "And they’re not going to do it again. There are benefits to being a grown-up."
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