Pop singer Lauren Bennett, who provided vocals on LMFAO’s chart-topping hit “Party Rock Anthem,” was found dead at an address in Meopham, Kent, on May 29 after Kent Police and the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) responded to concerns for a person’s welfare. She was 36.
Bennett’s father has stated publicly that National Health Service (NHS) doctors failed to treat his daughter appropriately after she experienced a reaction to prescribed medication. The death is not being treated as suspicious, Kent Police stated, and a report has been prepared for the coroner. An inquest is scheduled for Oct. 30, according to Kent and Medway Coroner records, and no official cause of death has been confirmed.
Former G.R.L. members Emmalyn Estrada, Natasha Slayton, and Paula van Oppen announced Bennett’s death on July 6, 2026, in a joint statement. “It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Lauren,” the band said. The bandmates said her spirit touched many lives and that they will always treasure the memories she created. “Rest peacefully, sweet Lauren. You will always be in our hearts. Your GRLS, Em, Tash, and P.”
A private memorial service was held in London in late June 2026, before her death was publicly announced, attended by family, close friends, and former bandmates from both G.R.L. and Paradiso Girls.
A Career Built on Chart Success
Born on June 24, 1989, in Meopham, United Kingdom, Bennett began her professional career in 2007 when she was chosen from a field of more than 500 candidates to join the Paradiso Girls, a group created by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin. The ensemble released its first single, “Patron Tequila,” in 2009, featuring Lil Jon and Eve, which resonated with audiences at clubs throughout the United States. After the Paradiso Girls ended in 2010, Bennett pursued solo work, teaming up with musician will.i.am on “I Got It From My Mama” and drawing notice from some of the industry’s biggest names.
Her profile surged when she was featured on LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem,” which topped charts in the United Kingdom and became one of the era’s most recognizable pop tracks. Bennett’s vocals on the song solidified her position in the global music scene.
Antin brought Bennett into the lineup in 2012, which was officially unveiled as G.R.L. in 2013, envisioning the ensemble as a successor to the Pussycat Dolls. The group, which also featured bandmate Simone Battle, gained immediate traction. In June 2013, they released “Vacation,” which was featured in the animated film “The Smurfs 2,” propelling the group to a global audience almost immediately. A collaboration with rapper Pitbull on “Wild Wild Love” charted in the top 10 in the United Kingdom, and their track “Ugly Heart” was certified 2x Platinum in Australia and Platinum in the UK, establishing G.R.L. as a major presence in the pop landscape.
Grief, Advocacy, and a Solo Return
The group’s momentum ended abruptly in September 2014 when Simone Battle died at her West Hollywood home at age 25. A coroner determined the death was a suicide. The tragedy deeply affected the surviving members and halted the group’s activities. G.R.L. officially ended in June 2015, though the members first released “Lighthouse” as a tribute to Battle and created GRL Gives an Hour, a mental health awareness initiative connected to the Give an Hour campaign.
Bennett resumed her solo work in 2016, releasing “Hurricane,” a song reflecting the grief and challenges of that time. “After G.R.L. ended, I had no idea what was going to happen next. Everything fell apart pretty fast. That’s when this song was written,” she explained, framing the track as an attempt to convey both the experience of suffering and of witnessing someone else’s pain—a dual perspective drawn from lived experience. Bennett wrote publicly that after watching her mother struggle with mental health challenges for years, she then lost a close friend to similar struggles. That willingness to speak candidly about mental health, reinforced by her advocacy work following Battle’s death, defined much of her public identity in her later career.
Pussycat Dolls member Jessica Sutta also paid tribute, describing Bennett as magnificent and praising her beauty, talent, and kindness.
Bennett is survived by her six-year-old daughter, Harlow, born Sept. 6, 2019, whose father is Kenny Wormald, known for his role in the film “Footloose.”
