LOS ANGELES — Simone Battle, an “X Factor” finalist and G.R.L. singer, was found dead Friday in a Los Angeles home, a coroner’s spokesman said. She was 25.
A cause of death is not yet known, according to Los Angeles County Coroner Lt. David Smith. An autopsy has been scheduled for the weekend, he said.
Battle’s body was discovered in her West Hollywood apartment Friday morning, Smith said. No other details have been made public.
The singer was a finalist in the talent competition for Fox Television’s “The X Factor” in the 2011 season.
She was a member of the girl singing group G.R.L., which performed last month on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The G.R.L. Twitter account posted this message: “Words cannot express the depth of our loss. Simone’s incredible talent was only surpassed by the size of her heart.”
Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin created G.R.L. as the “next generation” of her original group last year. The group collaborated with Pitbull on the song “Wild Wild Love,” which rose to 30 on Billboard’s Hot 100 this year.
Pitbull tweeted his condolences Saturday: “My heart and prayers go out to @GRLSimone: @grl and her family. RIP Dios la bendiga.”
G.R.L.’s latest single was “Ugly Heart,” released in June, according to Billboard.
Battle had said that Whitney Houston “inspired my dream to be a singer,” according to the group’s official biography on the RCA Records website.
She grew up in Los Angeles, singing in a church choir, studying ballet and tap, modeling and acting in television commercials before working an internship with a company associated with the Black Eyed Peas.
She studied music and songwriting at the University of Southern California before competing on “The X Factor,” where she reached the top 16.
The highlight of her acting career was a role in “We the Party,” a 2012 film directed by Mario Van Peebles, the bio said.
