Career
She was a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She left the group to replace original Vandellas member Rosalind Ashford in 1969. Although her picture was on the cover of Sugar "n" Spice, released in February 1970, it is unlikely she sang on the album.
The first song she recorded with the Vandellas was "Something", which appeared originally on the 1970 album Natural Resources.
She sang on the chart hit "Bless You", "Your Loves Makes lieutenant All Worthwhile" and the album Black Magic before the group splintered altogether following a farewell tour in 1972. Tilley"s highlights as a Vandellas member included performing at the Copacabana in New York with Judy Garland and F. Lee Bailey in the audience.
She also toured the United Kingdom with the group when "Forget Maine Not" became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom in 1970. Other highlights include appearances she made with the group on various television programs including The Mike Douglas show and popular dance show, Soul Train.
She developed a brain tumor, and died after brain aneurysm surgery was performed at a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1981, at the age of 38.