Australian singer Helen Reddy has passed away

Australian singer Helen Reddy, who shot to fame with her hit 'I Am Woman', has died in Los Angeles at the age of 78.

Her children, Traci Donat and Jordan Sommers, confirmed her death in a statement on Facebook today.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy, on the afternoon of September 29th 2020 in Los Angeles," they wrote.

"She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman. Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever."

Reddy enjoyed a prolific career, appearing in the movie Airport 1975 as a singing nun and scoring several hits, including 'I Don't Know How To Love Him' from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar and 'Delta Dawn'.

Reddy retired from performing in the 1990s and returned to Australia, getting her degree in clinical hypnotherapy.

Diagnosed with dementia in 2015, the Melbourne-born singer had been living in a nursing home for retired Hollywood talents in Los Angeles.