Maxine Powell, mentor to Motown stars, dies at 98 - CNN

(CNN) -- Maxine Powell, the mentor behind the smooth success and individual charm of Motown Records' stars for almost five decades, died Monday, the Detroit Free Press reported. She was 98.

Powell, who started as a personal development coach with Motown in 1964, was known for teaching Motown artists how to walk, talk and even think with class. She played an influential role in nurturing its future stars including Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye by giving them lessons in media relations and proper manners.

Mary Wilson, an original member of Motown's Supremes, quoted Powell as saying, "One day, you may be performing before kings and queens."

"And we actually did," Wilson said in a 2002 interview with CNN. "But it was because they taught us how to sit, you know, to talk, and all of these kinds of things."

British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, right, died in his home on the Isle of Wright on Friday, August 23. The man behind the visual style of movies such as "Star Wars" and "Dr. Strangelove" was 99. Here, Taylor and director Peter Brooks, left, film "Meetings With Remarkable Men" in 1979.

Ossie Schectman, the former New York Knicks guard who scored the league's first basket, died Tuesday, July 30. He was 94. NBA Commissioner David Stern called Schectman a pioneer, "Playing for the New York Knickerbockers in the 1946-47 season, Ossie scored the league's first basket, which placed him permanently in the annals of NBA history. On behalf of the entire NBA family, our condolences go out to Ossie's family."

Actress Eileen Brennan, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role as the exasperated drill captain in the movie "Private Benjamin," died Sunday, July 28, at her Burbank, California, home after a battle with bladder cancer. She was 80.

Cory Monteith, who played heart throb Finn Hudson in the Fox hit "Glee," was found dead in a Vancouver, Canada, hotel room Saturday, July 13, police said. He was 31.

Douglas Englebart, the inventor of the computer mouse, died Tuesday, July 2, at his home in Atherton, California, according to SRI International, the research institute where he once worked. He was 88.

Sir Robert Edwards, a "co-pioneer" of the in vitro fertilization technique and Nobel Prize winner, died April 10 in his sleep after a long illness, the University of Cambridge said. He was 87. He is pictured on July 25, 1978, holding the world's first "test-tube baby," Louise Joy Brown, alongside the midwife and Dr. Patrick Steptoe, who helped develop the fertility treatment.

Bobbie Smith, who as a member of the Spinners sang lead on such hits as "I'll Be Around" and "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," died on March 16 at age 76. Pictured clockwise from left, Spinners band member Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson, Jonathan Edwards, Bobbie Smith and Henry Fambrough, 1977.

Bobby Rogers, one of the original members of Motown staple The Miracles, died on Sunday, March 3, at 73. From left: Bobby Rogers, Ronald White, Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore circa 1965.

Patty Andrews, center, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters, died at her Northridge, California, home on January 30, her publicist Alan Eichler said. She was 94. Patty is seen in this 1948 photograph with her sisters Maxene, left, and Laverne.

In a statement Monday, Motown founder Berry Gordy said Powell was tough, but "poised, professional, and very thankful" as she worked with artists.

Gordy's statement quoted Powell as telling the young artists: "I love you all, but don't confuse me with your mother -- she's stuck with you, I'm not!"

"Ladies, remember your gloves, walk with class like you were taught -- and always remember, do not protrude the buttocks."

"She brought something to Motown that no other record company had. She was a star in her own right -- an original," Gordy's statement added.

Singer-songwriter and producer Smokey Robinson also paid tribute to Maxine Powell's contribution.

"She led and lived a long wonderful life. I just saw her a couple of weeks ago and she was very mentally sharp. She was an essential part of Motown," he said in a statement.

"We all loved her and she will be truly missed, but the evidence of her will live on and on through all of the Motown family."

Powell was one of Detroit-based Motown's first personal development coaches along with Maurice King and Cholly Atkins, according to the company's website.

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CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report.