Irish Grinstead, a founding member of ’90s girl group 702, has died according to an Instagram post her sister LeMisha Grinstead made on Sept 16.
Irish Grinstead, whose twin sister Orish passed away from kidney failure in 2008, was described by her sister in her Instagram post, “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 for prayers and respect for our privacy as we grieve an outstanding loss to our family.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, although Irish’s cause of death was not given, she stepped away from the group in December 2022 in order to focus on her health issues.
702 is a nod to Las Vegas hometown of the four members of the group, the Grinstead sisters along with Kameelah Williams. The group is best known for their 1996 album No Doubt, which featured their biggest commercial hit, “Steelo,” featuring Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott. The song was also used as the theme song for the popular Nickelodeon television show “Cousin Skeeter.” In 1999, the group followed that album up with a self-titled album, which contained another hit for the group “Where My Girls At.” In 2006, the group went on an 11-year hiatus, returning in 2021 in the reality show “Bet Presents: The Encore,” which followed the attempts of former girl group members to create a supergroup and record an album in 30 days.
Irish May your beautiful soul Rest Peacefully in the arms of the Lord🕊️ A Multitude of prayers for the entire Grinstead family🙏🏾🕊️💔#702 pic.twitter.com/Vfqbwfzxqj
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) September 17, 2023
Missy Elliott, who produced four tracks on the group’s 1996 album including “Steelo,” shared her condolences both in the comments on LeMisha’s Instagram post and in her own personal Twitter/X post, writing, “Irish May your beautiful soul Rest Peacefully in the arms of the Lord🕊️ A Multitude of prayers for the entire Grinstead family🙏🏾🕊️💔#702.”
Music critic Craig Seymour also posted his condolences while thanking Irish for her contributions to the genre of R&B and remembers 702 as one of his favorite groups on the same platform, writing “💔💔💔 Grateful for what Irish Grinstead brought to R&B. 702 was one of my fave groups! 😢”
💔💔💔
Grateful for what Irish Grinstead brought to R&B. 702 was one of my fave groups! 😢
702: Craig’s Pop Life 10 pic.twitter.com/73jR9mk2qw
— Craig Seymour, Black Gay Music Critic (@craigspoplife) September 17, 2023
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