Australian Feminist Icon Helen Reddy Passes Away at 78

Australian singer, actor, author, and television personality Helen Reddy has passed away at the age of 78.

Her daughter and son, Traci and Jordan, said in a statement: "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. Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever."

Reddy is best known as a recording artist. She had more than a dozen Top 40 hits in the United States including the popular feminist anthem, 'I Am Woman.'

Other hits include the classic songs, 'Delta Dawn', 'Angie Baby, 'Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)', 'You and Me Against the World', 'AIn't No Way to Treat a Lady," and "I Can't Hear You No More." She was the first Australian to win a Grammy Award and to have three #1 hits in the same year.

In theatre, Helen has starred in London's West End and on Broadway as Mrs. Johnstone in the musical Blood Brothers. She has also appeared regionally in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Call Me Madam, Anything Goes and more.

On television, Helen was the first Australian to host her own one- hour weekly primetime variety show on an American network, along with several specials that were seen in over forty countries. Her film roles include a starring role in Disney's original Pete's Dragon.

in New York. As a solo concert artist, she has played at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, as well as the Royal Albert Hall and the Palladium in London. Helen was also the first western female performer invited to sing in the People's Republic of China.

She is the author of her best-selling memoir The Woman I Am, recounting the emotional highs and lows that have shaped her life as an artist and as a woman.

Helen retired from live performance in 2002 and to begin practicing as a clinical hypnotherapist and motivational speaker. In 2012, she returned to the stage.

The Mayor of West Hollywood, CA granted her "Helen Reddy Day" for her contribution to women through her song "I Am Woman."

A bio-pic on Reddy's life and career 'I Am Woman' starring Tilda Swinton, was released earlier this month.