Florence Ballard American rock singer Date of Birth: 30.06.1943 Country: USA

1. Biography of Florence Ballard
2. Early Life
3. Career
4. Difficulties and Tragic Death

Biography of Florence Ballard

Florence Ballard was an American rock singer who tragically died at the age of thirty-two from coronary thrombosis. Her death was referred to as "one of the greatest tragedies in rock."

Early Life

Florence Ballard was born on June 30, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan. She was raised in a foster family and was the eighth child out of fifteen. From an early age, Florence, also known as Flo, had a love for music, mainly influenced by her father who was a talented guitarist. He sparked her interest in singing.

Initially, Ballard sang in a church choir and later studied music in a specialized school. After some time, Florence met Mary Wilson, with whom she not only became friends but also collaborated in the music group The Primettes, which was later renamed The Supremes by the famous Diana Ross.

Career

For a while, Florence Ballard lived happily, free from difficulties, and developed her creativity. However, in the summer of 1960, an incident occurred that drastically changed the singer's life. After one of the parties, one of her admirers assaulted her at knifepoint. It took her a considerable amount of time to recover from the trauma.

From 1965 to 1966, Ballard sang as part of the group The Supremes, along with Diana Ross and Mary Wilson. Her impressive voice made a profound impact on fans. In February 1968, Florence Ballard married Thomas Chapman, and in October of the same year, she gave birth to twin girls, Michelle and Nicole. In 1971, her third child, Lisa, was born. Soon after, Thomas left the family.

Over the next few years, Florence became a victim of circumstances. She began suing the American record label, Motown Records, and fighting for the copyrights of her singles. Ballard lost a significant amount of money and, towards the end of her life, relied solely on welfare.

Difficulties and Tragic Death

After returning to Detroit, Florence, now a single mother of three, faced even greater difficulties. She had no opportunity to return to show business and restore her financial situation, but she still made some attempts. On February 21, 1976, Ballard was admitted to the hospital with complaints of limb numbness. Sadly, she passed away from coronary thrombosis. Florence was buried in a cemetery in Michigan.