Post by Admin on Sept 8, 2014 0:57:02 GMT
Pop group G.R.L. have gone to number 11 in the UK single chart, two days after one of their members was found dead. Simone Battle, 25, who joined the group after being a finalist on The X Factor USA in 2011, was found dead at her home in Los Angeles on Friday. Her death comes as their full debut single Ugly Heart is beginning to take off around the world.
Their only previous UK chart appearance was as guest performers on Pitbull's number six hit Wild Wild Love in May. The four remaining members of the group said in a statement that "words cannot express the depth of our loss" and "we will carry her memory with us in everything we do". Meanwhile, X Factor judge Simon Cowell said Battle's death was "such a loss".
TMZ reports that the 25-year-old’s father was the one to discover her Friday morning, and that she was found hanging in a closet in her bedroom in her Los Angeles home. Law enforcement sources tell the site that her death appears to be a suicide. Battle rose to fame when she competed on the U.S. version of “The X Factor” in 2011. Even though she was eliminated during the first live show of the competition, Battle parlayed her reality TV fame into a spot in the popular all-girl group G.R.L., a rebooted version of The Pussycat Dolls.
"Simone was an exceptional young talent and human being, and we are all devastated to learn of her passing,” the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones at this time." Cheryl Cole, who served as a judge on the first few episodes of "The X Factor," including Battle's audition episode, offered her condolences Saturday. "Such tragically sad news to hear of the passing of Simone Battle," she tweeted. "My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones."
