Jeffery also trained Riperton to use her full range. She practiced breathing and phrasing, with particular emphasis on diction. At Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Center, she received operatic vocal training from Marion Jeffery. Although she began with ballet and modern dance, her parents recognized her vocal and musical abilities and encouraged her to pursue music and voice. The youngest of eight children in a musical family, she embraced the arts early. Riperton was born in Chicago, the daughter of Thelma Inez (née Matthews) (1911–2005) and Daniel Webster Riperton (1898–1991), a Pullman porter. Riperton died of breast cancer on July 12, 1979, at the age of 31. In 1978, she received the American Cancer Society's Courage Award, which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. In 1977, she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with a breast cancer diagnosis, but she did not disclose that she was terminally ill. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live.
In January 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in April, she underwent a radical mastectomy.
The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album titled Perfect Angel. On April 5, 1975, Riperton reached the apex of her career with her No. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. Her early affiliation with the Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backing vocals for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group the Gems. As a child, she studied music, drama and dance at Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Center. She is also widely known for her use of the whistle register and has been referred to by the media as the "Queen of the Whistle Register." īorn in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single " Lovin' You" and her four octave D 3 to F ♯ 7 coloratura soprano range.