Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua

Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua, sister of Motown Records founder, Berry Gordy Jr. and the founder of several music companies, died Monday of cancer at her home in San Diego. She was 71.

A native of Detroit, she and her sister, Anna, persuaded the Gordy Family to give her brother the $800 he needed to make a master recording of vocalist Marv Johnson, which eventually led to the formation of Motown Records.

Fuqua later formed Anna Records and was president of Tri Phi Records with former husband Harvey Fuqua, the lead singer of the Moonglows. In subsequent years, she formed and ran three music companies: Gwen Glenn Prods., Der-Glenn Publishing and Old Brompton Road Publishing.

In recent years, she established Gwen Glenn Farm and successfully bred and raced thoroughbred horses.

In addition to brother Berry and sister, Anna, she is survived by her son, Glenn Gordy, another sister, Esther, and two more brothers, Robert and George.

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There will be services in Detroit and Los Angeles.

Los Angeles services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Church of the Hills Chapel, Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills. Additional services will be held 11 a.m. Monday at the Bethel AME Church, 5050 Richard Allen Blvd., Detroit 48202.

In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations in her name be sent to: The Stevens Cancer Center, Scripps Memorial Hospital, 9888 Genesee Ave., La Jolla, Calif. 92037.

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