Alfa Anderson, an early lead vocalist for Chic who sang on hits including “Good Times” and “Le Freak,” died on Dec. 17 at age 78. Chic bandmate Nile Rodgers confirmed the news.
“Thank you for everything,” Rodgers wrote on Tuesday, Dec. 17 on Instagram, sharing a montage of photos of him and Anderson, and the band. Chic’s “At Last I Am Free,” one of Anderson’s solo features from 1978 sophomore album C’est Chic, soundtracks the tribute. “RIP Alfa Anderson. CHIC organization,” it reads over the montage. “Forever loved.” No further details about her death were given.
Anderson’s early work as a vocalist included a featured role in Cannonball Adderley’s Big Man (1976) which debuted at Carnegie Hall and she also starred in the Lincoln Center’s production of Children of the Fire, which was scored by trumpeter “Hannibal” Marvin Peterson, per her official bio. The Quincy Jones-produced soundtrack to 1978’s The Wiz also featured Anderson’s vocals.
Following her joining Chic on tour, Anderson became co-lead vocalist alongside Luci Martin after Wright’s departure, and served in that role from 1978 through 1983.
