Lauren Bennett, a singer known for her work with the girl group GRL and her collaboration with the duo LMFAO, has died at the age of 37. Her former bandmates confirmed her death in a statement Monday.
"It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Lauren," the statement read. "Our hearts are broken, and we cannot begin to express how much she meant to us. We will forever cherish the love, laughter, and countless memories she gave us. Her beautiful spirit touched so many lives, and she will be deeply missed and forever loved. Rest peacefully, sweet Lauren. You will always be in our hearts. Your GRLS, Em, Tash, and P."
Bennett was widely recognized for her feature on LMFAO's 2011 chart-topping hit "Party Rock Anthem." She also gained prominence as a member of GRL, a girl group formed by Robin Antin. The group was initially conceived as a reincarnation of the Pussycat Dolls.
Bennett's music career began with the short-lived girl group The Paradiso Girls, which included members from various countries. They released their debut single "Patron Tequila" in 2009, but the group disbanded the following year.
Bennett became the first member of Antin's subsequent group, which eventually became GRL. The band released the song "Vacation" for the soundtrack of "The Smurfs 2" and collaborated with Pitbull on the 2014 track "Wild Wild Love." Their most successful song as a group was "Ugly Heart," which reached number two on the Australian charts.
The death of Bennett comes 12 years after her GRL bandmate Simone Battle died by suicide in September 2014 at the age of 25. Following Battle's death, GRL released a tribute single, "Lighthouse," in January 2015, and the group officially disbanded on June 2, 2015. Bennett is survived by her six-year-old daughter, Harlow, with dancer Kenny Wormald.
In 2015, Bennett spoke about the grief and impact of Battle's passing. "You can never prepare yourself for something like this, ever," Bennett told PEOPLE at the time. "We'd just been in rehearsals the day before, learning choreography for our show, and the next day we were starting the morning as usual when we got the call."
Her former bandmate Paula Van Oppen reflected on the tragedy, stating, "She was such a strong woman, and very independent, and we had no idea what she was going through, or her pain. We admire how prideful she was, but now we just wish she'd let us in a little bit so maybe we could have helped her. Now we want to spread that message that it's okay to talk about, and help people, maybe even change the world."