Soul and disco have lost a special voice. Rochelle Fleming, lead singer and founder of the girl group First Choice, has died at the age of 72.

Fleming died on 5 November in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The news was shared on her official Instagram page in a post written by her manager, George Correia. No cause of death was given.

“It is with a heavy heart to share the passing of Rochelle Fleming-Finney… She brought light, laughter and love to the world.”

George Correia, via Instagram

The post said services to celebrate her life will be announced later.

The First Choice story

The group started out as the Debonettes while its members were still in high school, with Fleming, Annette Guest and Wardel Piper as the original line-up, before taking the name First Choice. Guest and Piper later left, and the line-up changed several times before the group split in 1980.

Their first charting single, ‘Armed and Extremely Dangerous’ (1973), reached No. 11 on Billboard’s R&B chart, No. 28 on the Hot 100 and No. 19 in the UK. Disco hits ‘Smarty Pants’ and ‘Dr Love’ followed, and ‘Let No Man Put Asunder’ became a classic, later covered by Mary J. Blige in the 1990s.

Jamaican listeners know her well too. The Observer notes album cuts ‘I Love You More Than Before’ and ‘A Boy Named Junior’ were popular locally, especially on JBC-FM and RJR 94 FM.

Rest in peace, Rochelle. Thank you for the music.

Source: Jamaica Observer