She was the lead singer of the 1960s musical trio The Ronettes, and it was confirmed by her family yesterday that she’s died at 78yo after “a brief battle with cancer”. Born Veronica Bennett in New York, Spector formed a girl group called The Darling Sisters with her sister Estelle and cousin Nedra Talley in 1957. But it wasn’t until producer Phil Spector signed the group that they changed their name and found global success with a string of hits, including 1963’s Be My Baby. After The Ronettes disbanded in 1967, Ronnie had a short-lived/abusive marriage to Spector who forbade her from performing. They split, and she embarked on a solo career spanning the rest of her life, but she never captured the sort of success she experienced at the start. The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. “She was the sweetest person you could ever know,” rocker and friend Joan Jett tweeted, “and her mark on rock and roll is indelible.”