Lauren Bennett, the singer best known as a member of the girl group G.R.L. and for her vocals on LMFAO's 'Party Rock Anthem', has died at the age of 37. She died in Kent, England, on May 29, according to coroner reports, though the cause of death has not been confirmed.
Bandmates Pay Tribute
Her former G.R.L. bandmates – Emmalyn Estrada, Natasha Slayton and Paula van Oppen – released a joint statement expressing their grief. 'It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Lauren,' they wrote. '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.'
Musical Career
Bennett began her career as part of the Paradiso Girls, a group that disbanded in 2010 after their second single failed to chart. She then joined G.R.L., which debuted on the charts with 'Vacation' for the Smurfs 2 soundtrack and collaborated with Pitbull on 'Wild Wild Love'. Their biggest hit, 'Ugly Heart', released in 2013, reached the UK Top 5. The music video has amassed over 130 million views on YouTube, with fans leaving tributes to Bennett in the comments.
As a solo artist, Bennett provided vocals on several tracks from that era, most notably LMFAO's 'Party Rock Anthem', which became a global phenomenon.
Personal Life and Later Years
Bennett had largely stepped away from the spotlight in recent years. She last released music in 2017 and leaves behind a six-year-old daughter with Kenny Wormald. Her death comes 12 years after the suicide of G.R.L. bandmate Simone Battle in 2014, which led to the group disbanding months later. At the time, Bennett told People magazine: 'You can never prepare yourself for something like this, ever. 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 had a 2020 reunion and teased new music in 2021, but no releases materialized.
