I Am Woman singer Helen Reddy has died aged 78

Helen Reddy, best known for her 1972 hit I Am Woman, has passed away at age 78, according to an announcement from her children.

This is everything you need to know about the Australian singer - from her biggest hits to her acting career.

Who was Helen Reddy?

Helen Reddy was an Australian singer, actress and activist who was born in Melbourne in 1941 into a family already working in the performing arts.

Her mother, Stella Campbell, was an actress, singer and dancer, and her father, Maxwell David Reddy, was a writer, producer and actor.

Stella was best known as a regular cast member in a variety of TV series, including Homicide (1964), Country Town (1971) and Bellbird (1967).

She was educated at Tintern Grammar, but at age 15, dropped out to pursue performing with her parents.

She performed throughout her childhood and won a singing competition in Australia that took her to New York in the 1960s to audition for a recording contract. Although the contract fell through, Reddy decided to stay in the US and ended up getting signed to recording label, Capitol Records.

Which songs was she known for?

Reddy had a plethora of songs and albums that made her one of the biggest artists in the world. Her most successful and beloved songs include:

• I Am Woman (1971)
• I Don’t Know How to Love Him (1971)
• Delta Dawn (1973)
• Angie Baby (1974)
• You and Me Against the World (1974)

In 1972, Reddy won a Grammy for best female pop vocal for I Am Woman - becoming the first Australian to do so.

In 1973 and 1974, she was also the world’s top selling female vocalist.

In 1974, Reddy won an American Music Award for Favourite Female Artist and that same year, she also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

By the end of her career, Reddy had had 15 top 40 singles, three number one hits and had sold more than 25 million albums in the United States alone.

In a 2012 interview with The Associated Press, Reddy explained that the massive success of I Am Woman was one of the reasons she stepped away from performing.

She said, “That was one of the reasons that I stopped singing, was when I was shown a modern American history high school textbook, and a whole chapter on feminism and my name and my lyrics [were] in the book.

“And I thought, ‘Well, I’m part of history now. And how do I top that? I can’t top that.’ So, it was an easy withdrawal.”

Reddy announced her retirement in 2002, but returned on a few occasions for one-off performances. She performed alongside actress Jamie Lee Curtis and other celebrities at the Women’s March in 2017.

What films did she star in?

While known for her music, Reddy also acted in a number of films and TV programmes.

She played Sister Ruth in Airport 1975 (1978), Nora in Pete’s Dragon (1977) and Suzi Swan in Fantasy Island (1982).

Reddy would also make appearances as herself in the animated TV programme Family Guy between 2007 and 2011.

In the mid 1980s, she also embarked on a theatre career, mostly appearing in musicals, with notable roles including Shirley in Shirley Valentine, Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, Mrs Sally Adams in Call Me Madam, and Gail Sinclair in Love, Julie.

As well as acting, Reddy appeared as a frequent guest on talk and variety shows, such as Top of the Pops, Match Game and The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Reddy also hosted her own show called The Helen Reddy Show in 1973.