Nedra Talley Ross

In Memoriam

Nedra Talley Ross, the last surviving founding member of the Ronettes and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer whose harmonies helped shape the sound of early 1960s pop, died at her home April 26, 2026, at the age of 80. Her daughter Nedra K. Ross announced the news on Facebook: "At approximately 8:30 this morning our mother Nedra Talley Ross went home to be with the Lord. She was safe in her own bed at home with her family close, knowing she was loved." No cause of death was announced. The Ronettes' official page paid tribute, calling her "a light to those who knew and loved her." Born Nedra Yvonne Talley on January 27, 1946, in New York City, she grew up singing, crediting her mother and grandmother as her earliest influences. "I owe my mom everything," she told the Western Reserve Historical Society shortly before her death. "She gave me the courage to go out there and sing." As teenagers, she and her cousins Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett and Estelle Bennett began performing together at local events, going through several group names before settling on the Ronettes.