'Party Rock Anthem' Singer Dies at 36

Lauren Bennett, the British singer whose voice helped power LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" into a global earworm, has died at 36. Coroner records from Kent and Medway in England show she died May 29, less than a month before her birthday, USA Today reports; her former group GRL announced the news Monday on Instagram, calling her a "beloved" friend whose "beautiful spirit touched so many lives." The cause of death has not been disclosed, and an inquest is slated for October.

Born in Meopham, England, in 1989, Bennett first broke out with the Paradiso Girls, who released "Patron Tequila" in 2009. She later launched a solo career and worked with artists including CeeLo Green and will.i.am, but her highest-profile turn came in 2011 via "Party Rock Anthem," which spent six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Bennett went on to join GRL, known for songs like "Ugly Heart" and "Wild Wild Love" with Pitbull. The group previously mourned member Simone Battle, who died by suicide in 2014, before disbanding in 2015. Bennett went on to release solo tracks, including "Reality" and "Hurricane," before welcoming a daughter with US dancer Kenny Wormald in 2019, per Hollywood Life.