Lauren Bennett, best known as part of former girlband G.R.L. and Lmfao vocalist, has died aged 37.
She died in Kent, England, on May 29 with a cause of death not confirmed, according to coroner reports.
Her ex-bandmates – Emmalyn Estrada, Natasha Slayton and Paula van Oppen – released a heartbreaking tribute to their ‘sweet Lauren’.
‘It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Lauren,’ they wrote in a statement.
‘Our hearts are broken, and we cannot begin to express how much she meant to us. We will forever cherish the love, laughter, and countless memories she gave us.
‘Her beautiful spirit touched so many lives, and she will be deeply missed and forever loved.
‘Rest peacefully, sweet Lauren. You will always be in our hearts. Your GRLS, Em, Tash, and P.’
Bennett, who has a six-year-old daughter with Kenny Wormald, had largely stepped away from the spotlight, last releasing music in 2017.
She was originally part of Paradiso Girls, a girl group who disbanded in 2010 after their second single failed to break through the charts.
Then she joined G.R.L., debuting on the charts with Vacation for the Smurfs 2 movie and working with Pitbull shortly after for Wild Wild Love.
Their best known hit by far was Ugly Heart, released in 2013, which cracked the UK Top 5.
Over a decade later, the video has over 130million views on YouTube, with fans flooding the comments with tributes to Bennett.
As a solo artist, Bennett’s voice can be heard on numerous tracks of that era, including Lmfao’s iconic Party Rock Anthem.
Bennett’s death comes 12 years after that of bandmate Simone Battle, who died by suicide in 2014, with G.R.L. disbanding months later.
‘You can never prepare yourself for something like this, ever,’ Bennett told People at the time.
‘We’d just been in rehearsals the day before, learning choreography for our show, and the next day we were starting the morning as usual when we got the call.’
‘I still can’t believe it. I don’t think any of us can. It’s weird that we’re even sitting here, talking about it.’
G.R.L. briefly reformed in 2016 with Slayton and new member Jazzy Mejia but disbanded again. They also had a 2020 reunion, teasing new music in 2021 that never emerged.