Irish Grinstead, a member of the girl group 702, known for hit songs like “Where My Girls At,” has died, her sister announced Saturday. She was 43.
Grinstead’s sister and fellow group member, Lemisha Grinstead, announced the news
in an Instagram post.
“It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that my beautiful sister and friend has passed away this evening,” she 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 for prayers and respect for our privacy as we grieve an outstanding loss to our family.”
While a cause of death was not given, the group announced in December that Irish was taking a “medical leave of absence due to serious medical issues.”
The group, which included the Grinstead sisters along with Kameelah Williams, took its name from the area code of their hometown, Las Vegas.
They released their debut album, No Doubt, in 1996, that featured singles including “Steelo,” which also was used as the theme song for Nickelodeon’s TV series Cousin Skeeter. Three years later, they released their second album, 702, which featured the hit song “Where My Girls At.”
With Williams temporarily replaced by Cree La’More, they released their single “Pootie Tangin’” off the soundtrack for the Chris Rock film Pootie Tang, and then Williams returned to the group shortly after. Another album, Star, followed, which featured the single “I Still Love You.”
The group took an 11-year hiatus in 2006. In 2021, the Grinstead sisters appeared in the reality series BET Presents: The Encore, which followed nine former girl-group members as they attempted to form a supergroup and create an album in 30 days.
During their career, 702 was nominated for an American Music Award, a BET Award, and multiple Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, winning best R&B/soul album of the year by a group, band or duo for No Doubt.
