Lauren Bennett, a British singer who performed on LMFAO's 2011 hit "Party Rock Anthem" and was a member of the girl group G.R.L., died by suicide, an inquest has concluded. The 36-year-old was discovered dead in Kent on 29 May, and according to BBC News, an inquest hearing on Friday revealed she had been struggling with severe mental health issues in the period leading up to her death.
In a statement presented by assistant coroner Jyoti Gill, Bennett's husband Kenny Wormald described how she had told him she was going out for a walk on the morning of her death while he remained in bed. When she failed to return after several hours and did not respond to calls or texts from him and other family members, Wormald and her father searched for her using Find My iPhone, eventually locating her body in a rural location.
According to Yahoo News UK, the inquest found that Bennett died by hanging. Her brother, step-brother and sister-in-law attended the hearing to support the family during the proceedings.
What mental health challenges did Bennett face?
Bennett had been diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that can cause anxiety, mood instability and depression. In January before her death, she experienced a severe episode during which she did not sleep for several days and was admitted to hospital under a mental health section. The court heard that she had endured "substantial psychological suffering" since that hospitalisation.
At the time of her death, Bennett was receiving care from "special mental health services." However, she had reacted poorly to prescribed medication and expressed the belief that she would not recover. According to Yahoo News UK, Bennett had a meeting with mental health services just days before her death and continued to report significant distress about the effects of her prescribed medication. Her father later stated that the family had rallied around her following her severe reaction to the medication and accused mental health services of failing to treat her appropriately.
Pages of farewell notes were discovered at her home, Kent and Medway Coroners' Court heard. No alcohol or illicit drugs were found in Bennett's system at the time of her death. Wormald, a professional dancer, said the couple talked about everything and there was no indication she intended to end her life.
What was Bennett's career history?
Bennett signed a record deal at just 17 years old and moved to the United States independently to pursue her music career. Before joining G.R.L. in 2013, she achieved success with the group Paradiso Girls; their 2009 single "Patron Tequila," which featured Lil Jon, charted in both the US and Canada.
She became widely known for her appearance on "Party Rock Anthem," which has been ranked as the fifth most successful song of all time by Billboard after spending six weeks at number one on its Hot 100 chart in 2011. Bennett featured alongside LMFAO members in the song's music video, which has accumulated more than 2.5 billion views on YouTube. G.R.L., the American girl pop group she joined, was best known for the hit single "Ugly Heart."
Bennett and her partner Kenny Wormald welcomed a daughter in 2019. Her father, Richard Bennett, described his daughter as having lived an "amazing life" in a statement read during the inquest proceedings.
How did the music community respond?
G.R.L. shared news of Bennett's death on its Instagram account in July.
Our hearts are broken, and we cannot begin to express how much she meant to us,the group said in their tribute.
Key Facts
- Lauren Bennett, 36, was found dead in Kent on 29 May after going out for a walk
- She had been diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome and experienced a severe mental health crisis in January before her death
- Bennett featured on LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," which has been viewed more than 2.5 billion times on YouTube
- She was a member of G.R.L. and previously performed with Paradiso Girls, whose 2009 single "Patron Tequila" charted internationally
- The inquest concluded she died by suicide after struggling with medication side effects and mental health services that she felt were inadequate
