Q:Facts: - instrument: vocals - death place: los angeles , california , u.s. - years active: 1962 -- 1979 - caption: riperton in 1977 . - birth name: minnie julia riperton - label: chess , grt , epic , capitol - death date: 12 july 1979 - genre: soul , r & b , jazz - birth date: 8 november 1947 - background: solo_singer - image: minnie riperton 1977.jpg - birth place: chicago , illinois , u.s. - associated acts: rotary gwen mccrae connection , aretha franklin , chaka khan , - occupation: singer-songwriter Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of minnie riperton .
A:
minnie julia riperton-rudolph -lrb- november 8 , 1947 -- july 12 , 1979 -rrb- , known professionally as minnie riperton , was an american singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single '' lovin ' you '' .she was married to songwriter and music producer richard rudolph from 1972 until her death in 1979 .they had two children : music engineer marc rudolph and actress/comedienne maya rudolph .riperton grew up on chicago 's south side .as a child , she studied music , drama , and dance at chicago 's lincoln center .in her teen years , she sang lead vocals for the chicago-based girl group , the gems .her early affiliation with the legendary chicago-based chess records afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for various established artists such as etta james , fontella bass , ramsey lewis , bo diddley , chuck berry , and muddy waters .while at chess , riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group rotary connection , from 1967 to 1971 .in 1969 riperton , along with rotary connection , played in the first catholic rock mass at the liturgical conference national convention , milwaukee arena , milwaukee , wi , produced by james f. colaianni .on april 5 , 1975 , riperton reached the apex of her career with her # 1 single , '' lovin ' you '' .the single was the last release from her 1974 gold album entitled '' perfect angel '' .in january 1976 , riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy .by the time of diagnosis , the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live .despite the grim prognosis , she continued recording and touring .she was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis , but did not disclose she was terminally ill .in 1977 , she became a spokesperson for the american cancer society .in 1978 , she received the american cancer society 's courage award which was presented to her at the white house by president jimmy carter .she died at age 31 on july 12 , 1979 .