Twin sisters Irish and Orish Grinstead have died and fans want to know more about their musical group, 702. Details of the members explored.
The R&B girl group 702, named after the area code of the member’s hometown, was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s.
On Saturday, September 16, 2023, the world learned about the passing of Irish Grinstead, one of the founding members of 702.
The singer’s death comes just months after the group announced in December that Irish would be taking a “medical leave of absence due to serious medical issues,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
But before Irish’s death, her twin sister, Orish had died from a severe health condition.
While it seems members of the group are unfortunately facing tragic news, fans want to know who was in the group and how it was founded. Read on for more.
What is 702, girl group?
702 is one of the most successful American R&B groups of the ’90s that comprised of all girls.
The group was formed by high school students at the Las Vegas Academy of Arts in the 1980s.
Originally, the group was founded by identical twins Irish and Orish Grinstead as well as their elder sister Lemisha Grinstead. The first other member to join was their friend Kameelah Williams.
Before the group became a quartet, Irish, Orish, and Lemisha Grinstead often performed in the lobby of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas before major events.
702 gained recognition after performing for then-Biv 10 president Michael Bivins at the Jack the Rapper Convention.
The group originally called themselves “Sweeter Than Sugar” and won second place in the music competition at the Jack the Rapper convention.
“We were so young we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. But our parents really believed in us, and let us go to all of these events.” Lemisha recalled during a 1997 interview with Billboard.
Their initial group name “Sweeter Than Sugar” was changed to “702” by Michael Bivins who signed them on the spot to Biv 10 Records and Motown through a joint venture deal with hopes to prepare them for commercial success. The group gained immense fame for their debut album, No Doubt. They then went on to release three additional albums.
The group went under multiple reconfigurations with the group members before officially disbanding in 2006.
At the height of their career, 702 was most well known for their songs like Stello, Where My Girls At, and Pootie Tangin.
The group was nominated for many awards across multiple different award shows including the BET Awards and American Music Awards.
Specifically, 702 was nominated for Best Female Group at the 2001 BET Awards and Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist at the American Music Awards in 2000.
In 1997, the girl group won Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for their debut album No Doubt.
The group sold millions of records before they disbanded in the mid-2000s.
Orish Grinstead, Irish’s twin sister (who passed away in 2008), decided to leave the group. Despite her departure, her vocals can still be heard on the group’s debut album.
In May 2021, Irish and Lemisha reunited when they joined BET’s The Encore series as cast members. The sisters appeared in seven episodes.
Who were the members of R&B group 702?
702 (formerly called Sweeter Than Sugar) was originally a quartet that featured twin sisters, Irish Grinstead and Orish Grinstead, their elder sister Lemisha Grinstead, and their classmate Kameelah Williams.
Later, singer Amelia Childs joined them as a featured artist on their Subway’s hit single “This Lil’ Game We Play”.
Past members of the group are Irish Grinstead, Orish Grinstead, Amelia Cruz, Cree Le’More, and Tiffany Villarreal.
Tiffany briefly joined the group as replacements for original members Orish Grinstead and Amelia Cruz. She later departed the group for a solo career and signed to RCA Records.
What happened to Irish and Orish Grinstead?
While 702 might’ve disbanded, the group’s members still had a large fanbase, which is why many were shocked when LeMisha announced that Irish died.
She passed away in September 2023 at the age of 43, but the cause of her death has not been released.
LeMisha said in a statement that her death came after “a long battle.”
“It is with great sadness that I have to let you know that my beautiful sister and friend has passed away this evening,” LeMisha said in a September 17, 2023, Instagram post.
“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.”
Irish’s death came 15 years after the passing of her twin sister.
Orish died in April 2008 at the age of 27 as a result of kidney failure.
Where is Kameelah Williams now?
The Grinstead sisters stayed out of the spotlight after the end of 702, but Kameelah, the leader of the group, went on to launch a successful solo career and television stint under the stage name Meelah.
She has released several songs as a solo artist, including Give It to You, Now You’re Mad, Stupid in Love, Desert Love, Lullaby, and Think About Me.
In 2014, she joined the cast of R&B Divas Atlanta.
In addition to releasing new music, Kameelah also founded P.R.O.U.D (Parents Reaching Out to Understand Developmental Delays), an organization that is dedicated to autism and special needs awareness, according to Sheen Magazine.
She became an advocate for autism awareness after her son Zac, with fellow singer Musiq Soulchild, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2013.
In July 2023, she also added author to her resume with the release of the children’s book, Zac’s Favorite Socks.