British-born vocalist competed on The X-Factor before joining the girl groups Paradiso Girls and G.R.L.
Lauren Bennett, member of the girl group G.R.L. and featured artist on LMFAO’s global smash hit Party Rock Anthem, has died at the age of 37.
“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Lauren,” the group wrote on their Instagram page. “Our hearts are broken, and we cannot begin to express how much she meant to us.” A cause of death was not specified.
Born in Meopham, Kent, UK, Bennett entered local talent contests and sang in pubs and bars before entering The X Factor as a teenager. After she was sent home having made it to the final 12, she was asked to audition for a new girl group called Paradiso Girls. Upon joining the band, Bennett moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17. The group would release the single Patron Tequila featuring Lil Jon and Eve, reaching No 3 on the US dance club songs chart in 2009.
After Party Rock Anthem with LMFAO became a global hit in 2011, Bennett joined G.R.L., a five-piece all-women band. The group appeared on Pitbull’s 2014 single Wild Wild Love and had their biggest hit with Ugly Heart, which reached the UK Top 20 and the Top 5 in Australia and New Zealand.
After the death of member Simone Battle in 2014, the band released a tribute single, titled Lighthouse and teamed up with the mental health charity Give an Hour.
“There’s a lot of young people who are taking their own lives, and the music industry is so influential on youth,” Bennett said at the time. “Hopefully, for us, we would love to help at least one person.”
G.R.L. continued to occasionally perform live and briefly reunited as a four-piece in 2020.
“We will forever cherish the love, laughter, and countless memories she gave us,” G.R.L. wrote in tribute to Bennett. “Her beautiful spirit touched so many lives, and she will be deeply missed and forever loved.”
