If you’re a fan of 90’s/early 2000’s R&B, then you probably remember when 702 had everybody singing their hit joints, “Where My Girls At,” “Get It Together,” “Steelo” and more. It’s been 14 years since 702 members, Kameelah “Meelah” Williams, LeMisha “Misha” Grinstead, and Irish Grinstead, disbanded in 2006 (they recently reunited in Nov. 2017) and as you can see in the picture below, today they STILL look like straight up snacks. Much like they did when they made their mark after being discovered by comedian, Sinbad, and mentored by New Edition’s, Michael Bivins. Sadly, their journey to R&B princesses didn’t come without their share of extreme heartache.
The Twin Sister & Group Member They Lost
Although the world came to know 702 as the trio we know them to be today, little did most know, not all of three of the current 702 singers were the original members. In fact, one of the members that many fans never got to know, passed away waaaay too young. That member also happens to be the twin sister of 702’s Irish and also the younger sister of LeMisha- her name was Orish Grinstead.
As we previously reported, just before the world came to know 702, there were actually two other members outside of Irish, Kameelah and LeMisha- Orish (LeMisha and Irish’s sister) and Amelia (LeMisha and Irish’s cousin). Both of the previous members left the group in it’s early stages.
The saddest part of it all, is that Orish Grinstead passed away at 27 years old in 2008, from kidney failure, while she was simultaneously battling cancer.
Irish Pays Homage To Late Twin Sister
Orish was one of the founding members of 702 and after she left the group, their high school friend, Meelah, joined them. Throughout it all, Irish, LeMisha, and Meelah kept pushing ahead in life, even through their grief. However, they refused to allow Orish’s life to be forgotten, so they continued to keep her name alive, by paying homage to her on the regular.
That especially holds true for Orish’s twin sis,’ Irish, who has consistently shown love to her late sister on social media, with throwback photos and touching tributes of her own. In a series of Instagram posts, Irish displayed exactly how much she misses her sister every day since she departed this earth in 2008.
One of Irish’s 2018 posts included a collage of photos of her twin, Orish (below), with the following caption:
“It has been 9 years and still my heart feels abandoned… There is a reason for everything but still I miss you Orish… What a honor to be your twin. 💝😢❤”
Another one of Irish’s tributes displayed her and Orish as newborns, adorably huddled up together and her caption read:
“Days where I miss my twin Sister! I love you Orish! You are not in my past… But you will always be with me in my heart… You said you didn’t want me to give up.. So with everything I do I do it for you… My Sister had this monologue that she used to perform for our family. She said “Some people see the cup of life as half empty… But I see it as half full! And if those half empties won’t let us half fulls be happy!!! Well then fuck ’em!” I’m half full again Sis and I love you… 💖🙏💖”
Meelah co-signed Irish with this comment underneath her post:
“@irish_702 gone but NEVER EVER forgotten…may she rest peacefully. Such a sweet spirit…#Orish”
While Irish’s and Orish’s big sister, LeMisha, paid respects to her late sister with this throwback photo of the original and much younger 702 group. This pic included their late sister, Orish (seated at center bottom), their cousin, Amelia (far left), and of course LeMisha (R) and Irish (standing center):
702 members, Meelah, Irish, and LeMisha have recently reunited in 2018 and are about to make their big comeback soon. They’re putting in work in the rehearsal studio, to give their fans what they’ve been waiting for:
May Orish Grinstead continue to rest peacefully and we wish the other former 702 members much success in their journeys going forward.