Diana Ross, like so many others, awoke Tuesday to devastating news: Mary Wilson, a founding member of the groundbreaking musical group the Supremes, along with Ross and Florence Ballard, had died.

Diana Ross offered a poignant tribute in remembrance of her late group member on Tuesday morning (Feb. 9). “I just woke up to this news, my condolences to you Mary’s family. I am reminded that each day is a gift,” she tweeted. “I have so many wonderful memories of our time together. ‘The Supremes’ will live on in our hearts.”

Wilson, 76, was the longest-serving member of the famed all-female Motown quartet from the 1960s, which she co-founded with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross. The Supremes would go on to dominate the charts in the 1960s, breaking a slew of records and becoming one of the best-selling female groups of all time while churning out timeless tunes for future generations.

Ballard passed away in 1976.

Patti LaBelle, Gloria Gaynor, Paul Stanley, LaToya Jackson, Viola Davis, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and others joined Ross in expressing their sorrow.

Barry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, sent a heartfelt letter in response to the news of Wilson’s passing. “I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of The Supreme[s]…,” he said in a statement. “I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of The Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva and will be deeply missed.”

Wilson reminisced on The Supremes’ beginnings in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter just last month. When pondering a possible Supremes reunion, she also mentioned her feelings about the remainder of her life. “It’s really up to Diana,” she remarked, recalling how they almost reconciled in 2000. ““I don’t think she wants to do that. It doesn’t make sense unless you come together lovingly. Or at least have an understanding. It can be an understanding, that’s fine. But I don’t think she does want to. So therefore I’m going on with my life. I look at it like this, especially with this pandemic: Who knows when the end may come. And at 76 and a half years old I’m not going to sit around waiting for something. As my mother used to say, don’t cry over spilled milk. I have too much to live for now and be happy about.”

After her death was announced, a representative for Wilson said that she was “working on new music and was set to release a new album this spring.”

She revealed intentions to release her solo project Red Hot, which she recorded in the 1970s, on March 6, her 77th birthday.

“I remember Mary’s joy and love during happier times and our love and years together,” Ross tells ET. “I recall ‘the good old days’ with a smile in my heart and a song in my heart during these changing times. I’m happy to have known her. Love and condolences to her family.”

The president and CEO of Universal Music Enterprises, Bruce Resnikoff, talked clearly about Wilson’s significance in music.

“Many artists have Mary to thank as she was often the spokesperson for the music industry and known as a fierce advocate for artist rights and copyright protection,” he said in a statement posted on the Ume and Classic Motown Twitter pages. “But it was her music, first and foremost, that helped bridge America’s cultural divide and continues to inspire a new generation.”

Gladys Knight hails Wilson a “good friend” and says she’ll miss “her smile, her voice, and her heart” in a statement to ET.

“She was my girl,” Knight says. “She was soft-hearted and loving and always trying to make it work regardless of anything that was happening personally. Mary was amazing and when their voices came together she helped them blend, I loved all of them. She was always kind and knew her own strength vocally and personally, she brought something wonderful to the Supremes.”

“She sung her part and didn’t need to be upfront, the warmth in her voice and music came from her soul,” she continues. “Back then there weren’t a lot of places for African Americans to be and Mary made it work for her group and that was good for all of us.”