What Happened to Rosa Hawkins? Cups singer passes away at 76
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Image via Erika Goldring/Getty Images
Chapel of Love singer and Iko Iko singer Rosa Lee Hawkins has died at the age of 76. Tampa General Hospital in Florida announced that the Dixie Cups champion had died on Tuesday.
Dixie Cups member and sister Barbara Hawkins confirmed her passing. Barbara Hawkins told TMZ that Rosa Lee Hawkins perished following a surgical procedure in a Tampa, Florida, hospital. Rosa died of internal bleeding and other complications following the procedure.
Their number one single Chapel of Love helped to make the group popular. The group consisted of three singers. Moreover, they took the lead on the 1965 single Iko Iko. Based on an Indian chant they have been hearing since childhood, the latter song was a traditional New Orleans Mardis Gras song.
Chapel of Love’s success
In addition to knocking the Beatles off the top of the Billboard 100, the song also deposed the Beatles from the top spot on Hot 100. In its place, “Be My Baby” replaced “Love Me Do” at No. 1 to remain at the top for three weeks.
Earlier in 1987, the Beach Boys covered “Chapel of Love”. The song appeared on the soundtracks of “Full Metal Jacket” (1987) and “Father of the Bride” (1991), according to the Times.
Athelgra Neville, a childhood friend of the Neville Brothers and sister of Johnson, replaced Johnson in the Dixie Cups soon after Johnson left the group in 1966. The remaining Dixie Cups members performed hits like “People Say,” “You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me,” and “Little Bell.”
The newspaper reported that Johnson died in 2016.
Rosa’s highest priority was singing
Rosa’s greatest love, after her son and Barbara and her grandchildren and nieces and nephews, was singing, Barbara said.
The experience of performing on stage made her very happy. Due to the fact that she was doing something she loved, her attitude and demeanor had changed completely.
“We were married to the business,” Barbara added. Even though they disagreed with each other sometimes, their mother taught them not to go to bed angry.
As a result of the pandemic, the group hasn’t played for two years, but they’re set to appear at the French Quarter Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this year.
As Rosa would have wanted, the group insists they will honor the plans.
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
