Lauren Bennett

Lauren Diane Bennett-Wormald^[1] was born in Meopham, Kent, England, on 23 June 1989,^[2][3] and spent many years entering local talent contests and singing in pubs and bars, from age 14 as part of a duo.^[4] When she was 17, she moved to Los Angeles to join Robin Antin's girl group Paradiso Girls, whose 2009 single "Patron Tequila" featured Lil Jon and Eve^[5][6] and reached number 3 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart and number 82 on the Canadian Hot 100. The group disbanded in 2010, after their second single, "Who's My Bitch", was unsuccessful;^[7][4] she was then featured on CeeLo Green's "Love Gun" from his album The Lady Killer.^[8][9] In 2011, she was featured on LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem",^[10] which peaked at number 1 in 20 countries including the US and the UK,^[7][11][12] and became the second highest selling single of the 2010s in the US behind Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars's "Uptown Funk".^[13] Also in 2011, she released her debut solo single "I Wish I Wish".^[14][5]

In 2012, she joined G.R.L., a band intended as a successor to the Pussycat Dolls.^[6] Bennett was a member along with Paula Van Oppen, Natasha Slayton, Emmalyn Estrada, and Simone Battle;^[15][7] their debut song "Vacation" was featured on the soundtrack to The Smurfs 2.^[4] In 2014, they were featured on Pitbull's "Wild Wild Love" and released a self-titled EP, which included the single "Ugly Heart";^[4] "Wild Wild Love" peaked at number 30 the Billboard Hot 100^[9] and at number 11 on the UK singles chart,^[16] while "Ugly Heart" peaked at number 6 in the UK,^[4][16] the top five in Australia and New Zealand,^[5] and the top 20 in several other countries.^[4] In September 2014, Battle died by suicide; a further single, "Lighthouse", was released in January 2015, as part of their Give an Hour mental health campaign in tribute to Battle,^[2] before the group's disbandment in June 2015.^[9] In 2016, Bennett and Slayton reformed G.R.L. with Jazzy Mejia and released the singles "Are We Good" and "Kiss Myself". In 2020, Estrada and Van Oppen briefly rejoined G.R.L. with Bennett and Slayton in a reunion that promised new music, but they disbanded again the following year due to funding issues.^[17]

In 2016, Bennett featured on Nick Martin's "Reality"^[18] and released the single "Hurricane";^[14] which was inspired by Battle's suicide^[8] and by watching her mother and friend struggle with their mental health.^[9] The year after, she featured on Nervo and Savi's "Forever or Nothing"^[19] and formed the folk, country, blues and rock duo Bennett with her brother Ryan. She gave birth to Kenny Wormald's daughter in September 2019.^[6][17][20] Her final social media post comprised her February 2026 cover of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".^[20]

Bennett died in Meopham on 29 May 2026, at the age of 36, although her death was not widely reported until 6 July 2026, when it was announced by her former G.R.L. bandmates.^[4][21] Following the announcement, her father said that she had suffered a severe reaction to a prescribed medication five months earlier^[22] and TMZ said that her death was being investigated as a suicide.^[23] A coroner's inquest into her cause of death was scheduled for October 2026.^[2][15]