We have heartbreaking news to share with you today, I Love Old School Music family. The music industry has just suffered a tragic loss with the passing of singer, Irish Grinstead, one of the founding members of the 90s/2000s R&B group, 702. Her untimely departure has 702 left fans and fellow musicians in shock and mourning.

Lemisha’s Sister/702 Member Gives Details Of Her Passing

Irish’s older sister and fellow 702 member, LeMisha, confirmed the singer’s unexpected death on Instagram.

“It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that my beautiful sister and friend has passed away this evening,” Lemisha wrote Saturday, September 16, 2023. “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.”

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Although an official cause of Irish’s death has not yet been released, The Hollywood Reporter mentioned that in December 2022, 702 announced that Irish was taking a “medical leave of absence due to serious medical issues.”

 

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Personal Challenges and Triumphs

Irish Grinstead’s career was not without its challenges.

In the early 1990s, 702 signed with Mike Bivins’ Biv 10 Records. Irish’s, along with her sisters’ singing styles, proved to be the perfect formula for success. The group’s name, 702, paid homage to their hometown area code in Las Vegas. But sadly, in the early 2000s, the group faced a tragic loss with the passing of her sister, Orish, due to kidney failure. This heartbreaking experience underscored the importance of family and solidarity for Irish and LeMisha, who continued to perform as 702, eventually adding singer, Kameelah “Meelah” Williams, to complete their trio.

A Legacy of Hits

Irish Grinstead’s contribution to 702’s success continued with their sophomore album, “702” (1999), which included chart-topping hits like “Where My Girls At?” and “You Don’t Know.” These songs became anthems of the late ‘90s, with Irish’s voice becoming synonymous with the group’s signature sound.

Beyond the group’s commercial success, Irish and her sisters were known for their empowering lyrics and positive messages in their music, inspiring a generation of young women.

A Farewell To A Beautiful Soul

The news of Irish Grinstead’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the music industry and among fans worldwide.

Irish’s untimely death serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing the moments we have. Her legacy lives on through the music she created, which continues to be celebrated and enjoyed by fans old and new. Sending uplifting energy to her family and loved ones at this time. Irish Grinstead, rest well queen.

The post R.I.P. – 702 Singer Sadly Passes Away At 43, Sister Gives Details appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

If you’re a fan of 90’s/early 2000’s R&B, then you probably remember when 702 had everybody singing their hit joints, “Where My Girls At,” “Get It Together,” “Steelo” and more. It’s been 14 years since 702 members, Kameelah “Meelah” Williams, LeMisha “Misha” Grinstead, and Irish Grinstead, disbanded in 2006 (they recently reunited in Nov. 2017) and as you can see in the picture below, today they STILL look like straight up snacks. Much like they did when they made their mark after being discovered by comedian, Sinbad, and mentored by New Edition’s, Michael Bivins. Sadly, their journey to R&B princesses didn’t come without their share of extreme heartache.

The Twin Sister & Group Member They Lost

Although the world came to know 702 as the trio we know them to be today, little did most know, not all of three of the current 702 singers were the original members. In fact, one of the members that many fans never got to know, passed away waaaay too young. That member also happens to be the twin sister of 702’s Irish and also the younger sister of LeMisha- her name was Orish Grinstead.

As we previously reported, just before the world came to know 702, there were actually two other members outside of Irish, Kameelah and LeMisha- Orish (LeMisha and Irish’s sister) and Amelia (LeMisha and Irish’s cousin). Both of the previous members left the group in it’s early stages.

The saddest part of it all, is that Orish Grinstead passed away at 27 years old in 2008, from kidney failure, while she was simultaneously battling cancer.

Irish Pays Homage To Late Twin Sister

Orish was one of the founding members of 702 and after she left the group, their high school friend, Meelah, joined them. Throughout it all, Irish, LeMisha, and Meelah kept pushing ahead in life, even through their grief. However, they refused to allow Orish’s life to be forgotten, so they continued to keep her name alive, by paying homage to her on the regular.

That especially holds true for Orish’s twin sis,’ Irish, who has consistently shown love to her late sister on social media, with throwback photos and touching tributes of her own. In a series of Instagram posts, Irish displayed exactly how much she misses her sister every day since she departed this earth in 2008.

One of Irish’s 2018 posts included a collage of photos of her twin, Orish (below), with the following caption:

“It has been 9 years and still my heart feels abandoned… There is a reason for everything but still I miss you Orish… What a honor to be your twin. 💝😢❤”

Another one of Irish’s tributes displayed her and Orish as newborns, adorably huddled up together and her caption read:

“Days where I miss my twin Sister! I love you Orish! You are not in my past… But you will always be with me in my heart… You said you didn’t want me to give up.. So with everything I do I do it for you… My Sister had this monologue that she used to perform for our family. She said “Some people see the cup of life as half empty… But I see it as half full! And if those half empties won’t let us half fulls be happy!!! Well then fuck ’em!” I’m half full again Sis and I love you… 💖🙏💖”

Meelah co-signed Irish with this comment underneath her post:

“@irish_702 gone but NEVER EVER forgotten…may she rest peacefully. Such a sweet spirit…#Orish”

While Irish’s and Orish’s big sister, LeMisha, paid respects to her late sister with this throwback photo of the original and much younger 702 group. This pic included their late sister, Orish (seated at center bottom), their cousin, Amelia (far left), and of course LeMisha (R) and Irish (standing center):

702 members, Meelah, Irish, and LeMisha have recently reunited in 2018 and are about to make their big comeback soon. They’re putting in work in the rehearsal studio, to give their fans what they’ve been waiting for:

May Orish Grinstead continue to rest peacefully and we wish the other former 702 members much success in their journeys going forward.

The post 702 Singers Reunited And Paid Tribute To Twin Sister/Group Member Who Died Years Ago appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbLHrfPHm5s/

The Twin Sister & Group Member They Lost

Although the world came to know 702 as the trio we know them to be today, little did most know, not all of three of the current 702 singers were the original members. In fact, one of the members that many fans never got to know, passed away waaaay too young. That member also happens to be the twin sister of 702’s Irish and also the younger sister of LeMisha- her name was Orish Grinstead.

As we previously reported, just before the world came to know 702, there were actually two other members outside of Irish, Kameelah and LeMisha- Orish (LeMisha and Irish’s sister) and Amelia (LeMisha and Irish’s cousin). Both of the previous members left the group in it’s early stages.

The saddest part of it all, is that Orish Grinstead passed away at 27 years old in 2008, from kidney failure, while she was simultaneously battling cancer.

Irish Pays Homage To Late Twin Sister

Orish was one of the founding members of 702 and after she left the group, their high school friend, Meelah, joined them. Throughout it all, Irish, LeMisha, and Meelah kept pushing ahead in life, even through their grief. However, they refused to allow Orish’s life to be forgotten, so they continued to keep her name alive, by paying homage to her on the regular.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd1Qmt2l4u_/

That especially holds true for Orish’s twin sis,’ Irish (pictured above), who has repeatedly consistently shown love to her late sister on social media, with throwback photos and touching tributes of her own. In a series of Instagram posts, Irish displayed exactly how much she misses her sister every day since she departed this earth in 2008.

One of Irish’s posts read:

“It has been 9 years and still my heart feels abandoned… There is a reason for everything but still I miss you Orish… What a honor to be your twin. 💝😢❤”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWDtTKslXgu/

Another one of Irish’s tributes displayed her and Orish as newborns, adorably huddled up together and her caption read:

“Days where I miss my twin Sister! I love you Orish! You are not in my past… But you will always be with me in my heart… You said you didn’t want me to give up.. So with everything I do I do it for you… My Sister had this monologue that she used to perform for our family. She said “Some people see the cup of life as half empty… But I see it as half full! And if those half empties won’t let us half fulls be happy!!! Well then fuck ’em!” I’m half full again Sis and I love you… 💖🙏💖”

Meelah co-signed Irish with this comment underneath her post:

“@irish_702 gone but NEVER EVER forgotten…may she rest peacefully. Such a sweet spirit…#Orish”

While Irish’s and Orish’s big sister, LeMisha, paid respects to her late sister with this throwback photo of the original and much younger 702 group. This pic included their late sister, Orish (seated at center bottom), their cousin, Amelia (far left), and of course LeMisha (R) and Irish (standing center):

https://www.instagram.com/p/BetaX9gnxHn/

702 members, Meelah, Irish, and LeMisha have recently reunited and are about to make their big comeback soon. They’re putting in work in the rehearsal studio, to give their fans what they’ve been waiting for, as is evident in LeMisha’s April 11th (2018) post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhaj9z_FHqf/

May Orish Grinstead continue to rest peacefully and we wish the other former 702 members much success in their journeys going forward.

The post 702 Looks Great After 12 Years, Pays Tribute To Twin Sister Who Died Years Ago appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

702 Then…

702 went on to make a lil’ more noise in the music game well into the early 2000’s with more albums and collabos with Missy Elliot. Then it seemed like they just vanished altogether.

It wasn’t until 2014, when Meelah (a.k.a. Music Soulchild’s ex and son’s mother) resurfaced for the reality show, R&B Divas, that their fans got a glimpse at least one of the members of the group. I LOVE OLD SCHOOL MUSIC  also previously reported about member, LeMisha, who has been loving her life away from the public eye and working her regular job, which she also loves.

702 Now…

Now though, they’ve flipped the script on us and after over 10 years apart, they’ve just resurfaced together at the 2017 Soul Train Music Awards. Many were surprised to see all three ladies reunited like Peaches & Herb, but were nonetheless pleased.

What They’re Planning Now

Of course fans wondered if they’re decision to reemerge as a trio, meant that there was a possibility they’d be reuniting and the answer is YES, but there’s a catch. So far, it seems the ladies have only confirmed that they reunited to film their upcoming 2018 Unsung episode. There has been no official confirmation they are reuniting as a group though.

With the recent successful reunions of several other 90’s female groups -like SWV, En Vogue, and Xscape- 702 might as well jump back into that water and give their fans the reunion they’ve been waiting for. Besides, based on how well things have been going for their fellow 90’s singers, a 702 reunion seems like a no-brainer. As long as they can work out their now busy schedules as mothers and wives, the chemistry and logistics of performing together again should be like riding a bike- easy peasy.

The post Rarely Seen 702 Members Reunite For 1st Time Years & Fans Surprised By How They Look Now appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

We now know what the third member, LeMisha, does for a living now. Check out the details about her new profession below…

LeMISHA'S CAREER IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM HER PAST SINGING CAREER

LeMisha's lifestyle has changed drastically since her days in the spotlight and it looks like she's loving every minute of it.>>>

We didn’t hear much from any of the three ladies- LeMisha Fields (formerly LeMisha Grinstead), Kameelah Williams and Irish Grinstead (LeMisha’s sister)- until Kameelah surfaced one season of R&B Divas Atlanta recently. We still don’t know what Irish is doing.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

The post U Won’t Believe What This 702 Member’s REAL Job Is, See How She Looks Now appeared first on I Love Old School Music.