Irish Grinstead, Member of Girl Group 702, Dead at 43
Irish Grinstead, member of the R&B musical group 702, has passed away. She was 43.
The tragic news was shared by her sister and fellow 702 member, LeMisha Grinstead, on Instagram on Sept. 16, with LeMisha sharing a photo of Irish alongside a personal message about her death.
LeMisha wrote, "It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that my beautiful sister and friend has passed away this evening. She has had a long battle and she is finally at peace."
Speaking about her sister's great personality and kindness, she said: "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. Love always, Misha," she concluded.
Missy Elliott, who was featured on 702's single “Steelo" in 1996 on their debut album and co-wrote another track for the group a few years later, commented on LeMisha's post, "💔🙏🏾🕊️ Multitude of Prayers for your family🙏🏾."
The rapper also wrote about Irish's passing on X (formerly known as Twitter): "Irish May your beautiful soul Rest Peacefully in the arms of the Lord A Multitude of prayers for the entire Grinstead family#702."
702's third member, Kameelah Williams, reacted to the news on social media as well. She said of her longtime friend and collaborator, "Devastated & heartbroken 💔 I struggled with this post because to me this isn’t real. ❤️🩹 There’s a lot I want to say, but there’s no way to say what your heart hasn’t fully accepted."
She continued, mentioning shared memories from growing up together, writing, "You & I have known each other since we were kids and we’ve laughed, cried, celebrated, and everything in between which is why I just don’t want to believe this. You’ll always be my “IBG” & I still love you my forever lil sis!!! Rest easy #Irish 🕊️ 🍀 🤍 😇 #7 #Dimples #IBG #702."
Williams also mentioned Irish's twin sister, Orish Grinstead, who died in 2008 at the age of 27 from kidney failure, saying, "I know you’re feeling better now and hugging your twin Orish which makes me smile 🥹 cus I know how much you missed her."
A cause of death has not been made public, but the group announced last December that Irish would be taking a “medical leave of absence due to serious medical issues.”
702 released their debut album No Doubt in 1996, which was extremely successful. The group released two more albums together, called 702 and Star.
