LeMisha Grinstead, Irish Grinstead, and Kameelah Williams of 702 attend 2019 ESSENCE Festival at Louisiana Superdome on July 06, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images.
Irish Grinstead, Member of ‘90s R&B Girl Group 702, Has Died
Irish Grinstead, longtime member of R&B girl group 702, has reportedly died on Saturday at 43-years-old.
Irish Grinstead, member of ‘90s R&B girl group 702, reportedly died on Saturday (September 16) at 43. The news was confirmed in an Instagram post by fellow 702 member, also Grinstead’s sister, LeMisha Grinstead, although the reason for Irish’s death was not confirmed. Last December, Irish departed the group to take a “medical leave of absence due to serious medical issues.”
“It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that my beautiful sister and friend has passed away this evening,” LeMisha Grinstead 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 (sic) for prayers and respect for our privacy as we grieve an outstanding loss to our family.”
Also sharing a statement was fellow 702 member, Kameelah Williams.
Irish’s death comes 15 years after the passing of her twin sister, Orish, who died of kidney failure in 2008 at 27-years-old. Orish was also a former member of 702, also consisting of past member Amelia Childs. While Orish ultimately left 702 before the release of their debut album, she’d occasionally fill in for absent members. In 1995, Orish and Amelia were replaced with Kameelah Williams and Tiffany Villarreal, the latter who left six months later to pursue a solo career.
The final lineup consisted of Irish, LeMisha and Kameelah, who released their 1996 debut, No Doubt, which featured the Missy Elliott-assisted and co-produced “Steelo,” later remade as the theme song for Nickelodeon sitcom Cousin Skeeter.
Irish May your beautiful soul Rest Peacefully in the arms of the Lord\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f A Multitude of prayers for the entire Grinstead family\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffe\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f\ud83d\udc94#702— Missy Elliott (@Missy Elliott) 1694935928
702 went on to contribute to film and TV soundtracks like Good Burger, Stuart Little, Cousin Skeeter, and Pootie Tang, also releasing their final two albums 702 and Star in 1999 and 2003, respectively.
Check out additional tributes to Grinstead below.
Rest in peace to the beautiful #IrishGrinstead of 702. \ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f— Se\u00f1or Lito (@Se\u00f1or Lito) 1694923290
\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffe #IrishGrinstead— Neesin The Kid (@Neesin The Kid) 1694929223
My favorite #702 song was a song they were featured on in 1994 - This Lil' Game We Play.. The subject matter was extremely inappropriate for underaged teenagers to be singing about, but it's one my fav songs from the group. R.I.P #IrishGrinstead— MikeDiddy (@MikeDiddy) 1694975233
Irish Grinstead #RIP \ud83e\udef6\ud83c\udffd\u2728— Carlos (@Carlos) 1694921733
This one my fav looks from a music video. R.I.P Irish Grinstead.— Solange\u2019sHairVendor (@Solange\u2019sHairVendor) 1694921248
\ud83d\udc94\ud83d\udc94\ud83d\udc94\n\nGrateful for what Irish Grinstead brought to R&B. 702 was one of my fave groups! \ud83d\ude22\n\n702: Craig's Pop Life 10 https://t.co/KrHx5FX9Fh— Craig Seymour, Black Gay Music Critic (@Craig Seymour, Black Gay Music Critic) 1694935690
Rest In Peace Irish Grinstead \ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f\ud83e\udd0d\nPraying for her family & group members \n\n702 made a small cameo in Aaliyah\u2019s music video \u2018If Your Girl Only Knew\u2019 in 1996.— AALIYAH LEGION (@AALIYAH LEGION) 1694959657
Sleep in Heavenly Peace Irish Grinstead. #702 \ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f— I AM The Visuals Baby! (@I AM The Visuals Baby!) 1694921975
rest easy irish grinstead from 702. you were a beauty. \ud83c\udf39\ud83e\udebd— khalia. | the black lizzie mcguire.\ud83e\uded0\ud83e\ude70 (@khalia. | the black lizzie mcguire.\ud83e\uded0\ud83e\ude70) 1694923369
- RIP IRISH GRINSTEAD! \ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f— Rob Milton (@Rob Milton) 1694920166
Irish Grinstead, a member of the girl group 702, has passed away. She was 43.\n\nGrinstead\u2019s sister and fellow group member, Lemisha Grinstead, announced the news\nin an Instagram post.— Michael Morgan (@Michael Morgan) 1694959836
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