Helen Reddy, ‘I am Woman’ singer dies at 78 after five year dementia battle

The Australian singer who sang the 70’s feminist song “I am Woman” died Tuesday at 78. 

"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. She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman," said a statement attributed to her children Traci and Jordan.

Reddy was born in Melbourne and grew up in a showbiz family. During the 1970’s, several of her songs made the Top 40 and three songs hit No. 1. She was the first Australian to win a Grammy Award. 

She retired from performing in 2002 and returned to the stage a few more times throughout the years. 

Reddy was diagnosed with dementia in 2015 and lived in a nursing home for professional entertainers in Los Angeles. Her ex-husband Jeff Wald tweeted that she died “suddenly and peacefully.”