Update: Lauren Bennett has since removed the Simone Battle-related message from her Instagram account. Portions of the message are quoted below.
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Expanding upon the group’s collective statement, GRL members Natasha Slayton and Lauren Bennett offered personal responses to the death of Simone Battle.
“This isn’t reeeeeeeeal,” wrote Slayton. “PLEEEEEEEEEASE come back to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The performer also linked to an Instagram collage of her fellow GRL member, who passed away Friday morning at the age of 25.
Bennett, meanwhile, posted a message on her Instagram account (embedded below).
“We were supposed to conquer together,” noted Bennett. “We were a team, it wasn’t supposed to be this way.”
Noting the bond the five GRL members had developed, Bennett added, “We all worked so hard together, united like family for this dream we all shared. Things will never be the same without her.
“The thought of her no longer being here is devastating and shocking for myself and all of her loved ones.”
News emerged early Saturday that Battle, who had risen to fame on “The X Factor” before joining GRL, was found dead in her Los Angeles home Friday morning. Law enforcement officials later revealed that she was found hanging in her closet.
The tragic development came as the group’s “Ugly Heart” was beginning to gain global traction. A top ten song in a number of international markets, “Ugly Heart” is currently being supported by iHeartRadio’s “On the Verge” program on Hot Adult Contemporary radio stations in the United States.