Estelle Bennett: 1941-2009

Iconic girl group The Ronettes also included Bennett's sister, Veronica (AKA: Ronnie Spector) and their cousin Nedra Talley. They signed with Phil Spector's Philles Records in 1963, and went on to score hits such as "Be My Baby, " "Walkin' in the Rain" and "Baby, I Love You." Although she sang backup to Ronnie, Estelle's vocal harmonies were the basis for Spector's famed "wall of sound" production technique. 

The Ronettes had a rocky relationship with Spector. For almost 15 years, they waged a long, ultimately-futile court battle with him over royalties. They sued him in the late 1980s claiming he had used their music in unauthorized manners by their contract, like when "Be My Baby" was played in Dirty Dancing. Although a judge ordered Spector to pay $2.6 million in royalties and interest in 2000, the demand was tossed out on appeal in 2002, when another judge noted that the contract did not mention "synchronization rights," secondary rights to the use of their music.

After the Ronettes breakup in 1966, Bennett released a solo album The Year 2000/The Naked Boy through Laurie Records. Shortly thereafter she retired from show business, married and raised a daughter, Toyin Hunter. She attended the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2007, where her only statement was "I would just like to say, thank you very much for giving us this award."