Barbara McNair Dies At 72

Singer and actress Barbara McNair has died in Los Angeles after battling throat cancer. She was 72.

Highlights of her career included co-starring with Sidney Poitier and hosting her own TV variety show.

She became famous in the 1960s as a singer with one of her biggest hits being "You Could Never Love Him." She moved into film and television as opportunities opened for black women. After her debut in "If He Hollers, Let Him Go," she starred with Poitier in "They call me MISTER Tibbs." She played the wife of the title character. She also starred in 1969's "Change of Habit" with Elvis Presley.

On TV, she hosted "The Barbara McNair Show," a syndicated musical and comedy program, in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Her sister says McNair was "very family oriented" and "a person of her own." She died yesterday.