Grammy-winning soul singer Betty Wright dies at 66

Betty Wright

Betty Wright, the Grammy-winning soul singer and songwriter whose hits included Clean Up Woman and Where is the Love, has died at age 66.

Wright died at her home in Miami on Sunday, local media reported. She had been  diagnosed with cancer in the fall.

She made her breakthrough with 1971′s Clean Up Woman, which combined elements of funk, soul and R&B.

Recorded when she  was 17, the song  was a top 10 hit on  the Billboard R&B and pop charts.

Wright who born in 1953 in Miami. started singing with the family gospel group, Echoes of Joy, and released her solo debut album, My First Time Around, at age 15. The album yielded a top 40 hit, “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do.”

With members of K.C. and the Sunshine Band, she co-wrote her 1975 proto-disco hit, Where is the Love, which  won her a Grammy for best R&B song.

In 1987 Wright started her own label, leading to a gold  album, Mother Wit, and the comeback hit No Pain (No Gain).