Irish Grinstead, member of the R&B trio 702, known for the hit ‘Where My Girls At?’ from 1999, died on Saturday evening at the age of 43, according to her sister.
There was no immediate cause of death, but the group announced in December that Irish Grinstead was “taking medical leave due to serious medical issues.”
LeMisha Grinstead, Irish Grinstead’s sister and bandmate, said in an Instagram post announcing her death that she had “had a long battle and is finally at peace.”
‘That girl was as bright as the stars! She was not only beautiful on the outside, but also on the inside,” wrote LeMisha Grinstead. “Sharing the stage with her was a joy that I will cherish for the rest of my life!”
Sisters Grinstead and Kameelah Williams formed 702, named after the area code of the telephone in Las Vegas, where they came from.
“Devastated and heartbroken,” Ms. Williams wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday. “There’s a lot I want to say, but there’s no way to say what your heart hasn’t fully accepted.”
The group’s 1996 debut album, ‘No Doubt’, included a song called ‘Steelo’, starring Missy Elliott. A version of the song was the theme song for the Nickelodeon show ‘Cousin Skeeter’. The song was also sampled in a 2019 dance music hit produced by Diplo.
“Irish, may your beautiful soul rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord,” Ms. Elliot wrote in one message on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday. “Multiple prayers for the entire Grinstead family.”
702’s defining hit was “Where My Girls At?”, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1999, according to Billboard.
As news of Irish Grinstead’s death spread, fan tributes flooded social media in the form of video clips featuring Irish Grinstead dancing alongside her sister and Mrs. Williams in signature ’90s glamor and choreography.
The group released its last album ‘Star’ twenty years ago, but continued to perform shows, with several more scheduled for the rest of this year.
Irish Grinstead’s twin sister, Orish Grinstead, died in 2008, according to IMDb.
