{"id":81385,"date":"2020-10-05T17:00:36","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T15:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=81385"},"modified":"2020-10-04T07:48:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-04T05:48:10","slug":"12-00-51","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=81385","title":{"rendered":"Helen Reddy, Australian Jewish Singer Behind Feminist Anthem \u2018I Am Woman,\u2019 Dies at 78"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>Helen Reddy, Australian Jewish Singer Behind Feminist Anthem \u2018I Am Woman,\u2019 Dies at 78<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Shiryn Ghermezian<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Singer Helen Reddy from The Carol Burnett Show in 1973. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Jewish Australian singer-songwriter Helen Reddy, best known for the 1972 feminist anthem \u201cI Am Woman,\u201d died on Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 78, her family announced.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman,\u201d the family wrote<\/a> on her official Facebook fan page. \u201cOur hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The news of her death comes just one month after the official release of Reddy\u2019s biopic, also titled \u201cI Am Woman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reddy was born in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 25, 1941, and moved to the United States in 1966 after winning an Australian TV talent show called \u201cBandstand.\u201d The divorced mother, who had a young daughter named Traci, converted to Judaism to marry her Jewish manager, Jeff Wald, in 1968.<\/span><\/p>\n

The singer initially found success with the song \u201cI Don\u2019t Know How To Love Him\u201d in 1971, but \u201cI Am Woman\u201d in 1972 made her a global superstar and feminist icon at the age of 30 when it reached No. 1 in the US, Canada and Australia by September of that year. The song appeared on her debut album, \u201cI Don\u2019t Know How to Love Him,\u201d and earned Reddy a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reddy co-wrote \u201cI Am Woman\u201d with Australian musician Ray Burton. She explained that it was partially inspired by her experiences facing misogyny and sexism in the entertainment industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWomen have always been objectified in showbiz. I\u2019d be the opening act for a comic and as I was leaving the stage he\u2019d say, \u2018Yeah, take your clothes off and wait for me in the dressing room, I\u2019ll be right there.\u2019 It was demeaning and humiliating for any woman to have that happen publicly,\u201d she told Australia\u2019s Sunday Magazine<\/em> in 2003, as reported by AOL<\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

She added: \u201cI couldn\u2019t find any songs that said what I thought being woman was about. I thought about all these strong women in my family who had gotten through the Depression and world wars and drunken, abusive husbands. But there was nothing in music that reflected that. The only songs were \u2018I Feel Pretty\u2019 or that dreadful song \u2018Born a Woman.\u2019 These are not exactly empowering lyrics. I certainly never thought of myself as a songwriter, but it came down to having to do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reddy followed up the popular song with a number of hits, including \u201cDelta Dawn,\u201d \u201cAngie Baby\u201d and \u201cAin\u2019t No Way to Treat a Lady.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The singer officially retired from the music industry in 2002. She was diagnosed with dementia in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

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