then retired from the music business and, as Mary Cross, devoted herself to her family and church, the Bountiful Blessing Church of God in Christ in Memphis. She and James Cross have five sons and one daughter. In 2010, she returned to the stage briefly at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans. Several of her songs have been used in films (Gegen die Wand, The Fighting Temptations, Lucky Number Slevin, The Wackness, Felix and Meira, The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun) and sampled/redone by current artists such as Wu-Tang Clan (in "Tearz"), Metro Boomin, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys and Lykke Li. Chili's Restaurant used Rene's "Bar-B-Q" single for their 2013 commercial. In 2003 Ace Records released a compilation CD of her recordings, You Thrill My Soul, which included several that were originally unreleased. Another compilation, After Laughter Comes Tears, was issued by Light in the Attic Records in 2012. Wendy Rene died on December 16, 2014, after a stroke. She was 67. Discography Singles with Volt Records 1964: "Wondering" / "Please Don't Leave" (with The Drapels) 1964: "Young Man" / "Your Love Is All I Need" (with The Drapels) with Stax Records 1964: "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" / "What Will Tomorrow Bring" 1964: "Bar-B-Q" / "Young and Foolish" 1965: "Give You What I Got" / "Reap What You Sow" Compilations 2003: You Thrill My Soul (Ace Records) 2012: After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964–1965 (Light In The Attic Records) Soundtracks "After Laughter" – Lucky Number Slevin "After Laughter" – Gegen die Wand (Head-On) "Bar-B-Q" – Once Upon a Time in the Midlands "After Laughter" – The Wackness "After Laughter" – Felix & Meira "After Laughter" – La dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil "After Laughter" – This is England '88 References External links Wendy Rene at Stax Museum of American Soul Music American gospel singers Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee American soul musicians 1947 births 2014 deaths Stax Records artists 20th-century African-American women singers