Nation mourns the loss of Aussie legend Helen Reddy
<p><span>Trailblazing Australian singer and actress Helen Reddy has died at the age of 78.</span><br /><br /><span>The award-winning musician, who was best known for her hit song <em>I Am Woman</em>, is survived by her two children, Traci and Jordan, and her beloved grandchildren.</span><br /><br /><span>"It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy, on the afternoon of September 29th 2020 in Los Angeles," Traci and Jordan said in a statement on the Helen Reddy Official Fan Page.</span></p>
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<p><br /><span>"She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman. Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.</span><br /><br /><span>At the time of her death, Reddy was in an assisted living facility.</span><br /><br /><span>Traci recently said in a statement that her mother "has some health and memory issues".</span><br /><br /><span>The star was reportedly diagnosed with dementia in 2015.</span><br /><br /><span>Reddy was born in Melbourne in 1941 to a prominent showbiz family and began her entertainment career at the age of four.</span><br /><br /><span>The star joined her parents on the Australian vaudeville circuit at a young age and by just 17, she had won a talent contest on the television program <em>Bandstand</em>.</span></p>
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<p><br /><span>Her prize was a ticket to New York City to record an audition, which unfortunately turned out to be unsuccessful.</span><br /><br /><span>She continued on and persevered however, and in 1968 her hard work paid off when she released her debut single <em>One Way Ticket</em> , followed by<em> I Believe in Music</em> in 1970.</span><br /><br /><span>She enjoyed prominent success in the '70s, and released<em> I Am Woman</em> in 1971.</span><br /><br /><span>The song solidified her place in the hall of greats as her music became a trailblazing anthem for second-wave feminism.</span><br /><br /><span>Many of Reddy's singles made the Billboard Top 40 and she went on to win a number of music awards.</span><br /><br /><span>Remarkably, she was the first Australian to host a weekly primetime variety show on US television.</span><br /><br /><span>Reddy also acted, appearing in a number of theatre shows as well as films like Pete's Dragon, Airport 1975 and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.</span><br /><br /><span>Reddy was married three times.</span><br /><br /><span>She wed Kenneth Claude Weate at the age of 20 and they separated not long after the birth of their daughter, Traci, in 1963.</span><br /><br /><span>In 1968, the Aussie feminist icon married Jeff Wald, who was also her manager at the time.</span><br /><br /><span>Their son Jordan, who would go on to be a film director, was born in 1972.</span><br /><br /><span>Reddy and Wald separated in 1981.</span></p>
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<p><br /><span>Her third and final marriage came in 1983 when she married Milton Ruth, a drummer in her band. They divorced in 1995.</span><br /><br /><span>Her life was recently turned into a movie titled <em>I Am Woman</em>, with the singer played by Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey.</span><br /><br /><span>Director Unjoo Moon recently told 9news that she and Reddy became friends after they met at an awards season event a few years ago.</span><br /><br /><span>Moon couldn't believe a film about Reddy's life hadn't already been made.</span><br /><br /><span>Reddy eventually trusted Moon with her story and the director was honest with Reddy by admitting that <em>I Am Woman</em> wasn't going to get every fact right.</span><br /><br /><span>"I remember when we finally agreed to make the movie, I said to her, 'Look, Helen, this is going to be a work of fiction based on your life, it's not going to be a documentary. I can't promise you that I will get every word right, that I will include everybody who's been in your life. I may combine people together, I may do different things to tell this story because it's a work of fiction. But I will promise you that I will honour the spirit of who you are, what your life is, and how your music has impacted people'," Moon said.</span></p>
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<p><br /><span>“I think that was the thing she always felt was important, that the spirit of it had to be in line with who she is."</span><br /><br /><span>Following her death, Moon expressed her grief in a statement to <em>9Honey</em>.</span><br /><br /><span>"When I first met Helen Reddy she told me that I would be in her life for many years. What followed was an amazing seven-year friendship during which she entrusted me with telling her story in a film that celebrates her life, her talents and her amazing legacy," she began.</span><br /><br /><span>"I will forever be grateful to Helen for teaching me so much about being an artist, a woman and a mother. She paved the way for so many and the lyrics that she wrote for <em>I am Woman</em> changed my life forever like they have done for so many other people and will continue to do for generations to come. She will always be a part of me and I will miss her enormously.</span><br /><br /><span>"On behalf of all of us involved in making the film <em>I am Woman</em>, producer Rosemary Blight and I extend our condolences to Helen's family especially her children Traci and Jordan, her granddaughter Lily and her ex-husband Jeff."</span></p>
