[4] Her father, Harry Weiss, died when she was six weeks old and her mother, Elizabeth (née Treubig), brought up three children in poverty, surviving on welfare and handouts.

[5][6] Mary sang in school plays and choirs and she listened to her brother, an Elvis fan, and his friends performing popular songs of the day.

[2] In high school, Weiss and her sister Betty became friends with twins Mary Ann and Margie Ganser.

[2] "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" had reached number five in the US charts, competing with six singles by the Beatles and hits by the Rolling Stones and other British groups.

[1] In 2019, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, honored the Shangri-Las song "Leader of the Pack" in its Singles category.

[5] In March 2007, Norton Records released Dangerous Game, a critically acclaimed album on which she was backed by the Reigning Sound.

[10] Weiss died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at her home in Palm Springs, California, on January 19, 2024, at the age of 75 leaving her sister Betty as the only living member of The Shangri-Las.