Simone Battle, former X-Factor finalist and a member of the girl group G.R.L was found dead in her West Hollywood apartment.
According to an official statement from Reign Deer Entertainment, Robin Antin, Kemosabe Records and RCA records, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the loss of Simone Battle of G.R.L. Simone was an exceptional young talent and human being, and we are all devastated to learn of her passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones at this time."
Simone’s dad, Anthony was shocked to hear the news. According to TMZ, Anthony said that his daughter never told him she was suffering, and though they rarely spoke on the phone, they contantly communicated through texting. Even her friends were surprised with the news since, according to them, Simone was texting them the night she died and she showed no sign of possible problems.
The 25-year old singer rose to stardom when she was included in the top 17 of the talent show X-Factor in 2011. A year after that, she joined G.R.L., the all-girl group formed by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin and has recently recorded with Pitbull in a song entitled “Wild, Wild Love”
Before her share of Hollywood, Battle was part of their church choir. She also studied ballet and tap dance and was taking up music at the University of Southern California.
Hollywood mourns for the loss of an artist who is full of potential. G.R.L posted on their official Twitter account: “Words cannot express the depth of our loss. Simone's incredible talent was only surpassed by the size of her heart," they wrote. "We will carry her memory with us in everything we do.”
