Irish Grinstead, one-third of the popular 90s girl group 72, had died, her sister confirmed Saturday. She was 43.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, her sister and fellow member of the group, Lemisha Grinstead, announced she passed away. She did not provide details into how the songstress died.
“It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that my beautiful sister and friend has passed away this evening,” she wrote. “She has had a long battle and she is finally at peace. That girl was as bright as the stars! She was not only beautiful on the outside, but also within. Sharing the stage with her was a joy I will cherish for the rest of my life! We, the family ask for prayers and respect for our privacy as we grieve an outstanding loss to our family.”
Although it is unclear how Grinstead died, it was reported that she was taking a “medical leave of absence due to serious medical issues” last December.
702 was named after the group’s hometown of Las Vegas. Alongside Irish, the other two members consisted of her sister Lemisha and Kameelah Williams.
The R&B group rose to stardom in the 90s after debuting their first album No Doubt in 1996. Their hit songs Steelo and Where My Girls At would cement their presence in the music industry.
Years after they formed the group, Williams was replaced with Cree La’More, who helped the group release their single Pootie Tangin, which featured on Chris Rock’s film Pootie Tang’s soundtrack. Another album would follow called Star, featuring the hit single I Still Love You, produced by The Neptunes.
After an 11-year hiatus, the group returned in 2021 on a BET series called The Encore, which documented the lives of nine former girl group members as they worked to form a supergroup while recording an album in a month.
Throughout the group’s career, they won the Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for their album No Doubt. They have also been nominated for an American Music Award and a BET Award, among others.
