Helen Reddythe Australian-born singer whose 1972 hit song "I Am Woman" made her a feminist icondied Sept. 29 in Los Angeles. She was 78.
According to The New York Times, Reddy suffered for decades from Addison's disease ( having a kidney removed when she was 17 ) and, since at least 2015, from dementia.
"I Am Woman" reached number one on the Billboard charts and earned her the Grammy Award for best female pop vocal performance. Other hit songs included "Delta Dawn," "Angie Baby" and "You and Me Against the World."
Windy City Times interviewed Reddy twice ( in 2008 and 2013 ). Among other things, Reddy revealed that she lived in Chicago in 1967-68 and was one of the first people who lived in Lake Point Tower ( a condo building located at 505 N. Lake Shore Dr. ). Also, Reddy said she resumed touring in the early 2010s because "I don't have to please anyone anymore. I don't have to please the record company or jump up and down for an agent. I'm doing the show the way I want to do it."