Renowned Gospel Singer-Songwriter, LaShun Pace, Dies at 60

Courtesy of Facebook/OfficialLashunPace

Gospel great, LaShun Pace passed away Monday morning from organ failure.

The Atlanta native, who along with her eight sisters comprised the Grammy-nominated gospel group The Anointed Pace Sisters, was 60-years old.

Larry Reid, the host of the Atlanta-based "Larry Reid Live" show, was the first to break the news.

“We have lost one of the baddest sopranos to ever walk this earth,” he tweeted Monday. “LaShun Pace one of the lead singers of The Pace Sisters has passed. The Pace Sisters recently lost their sister songbird Duranice Pace and Mom Pastor Betty Pace. Pray for them and all of us who will mourn this loss.”

We have lost one of the baddest sopranos to ever walk this earth. LaShun Pace one of the lead singers of The Pace Sisters has passed. The Pace Sisters recently loss their sister songbird Duranice Pace and Mom Pastor Betty Pace. Pray for them and all of us who will mourn this loss pic.twitter.com/p7WjSBaV5t

— LarryReidLive (@LarryReidLive) March 21, 2022

Her sister, Lydia Pace, confirmed the news of her passing to 11Alive, sharing with reporter Shiba Russell that Pace, who had been on dialysis for five years and was awaiting a kidney, died of organ failure.

RIP LaShun Pace 🙏🏽🕊 An Exclusive Conversation With Her Daughter Aarion Rhodes. The Atlanta gospel legend died this morning at the age of 60. @OfficialLashun pic.twitter.com/3inIaMB9mY

— Shiba Russell (@ShibaRussell) March 22, 2022

Born in Atlanta's Poole Creek community in1961, the singer-songwriter first rose to prominence in the mid-1970s as a solo artist, and later alongside her sisters, singing at her father's church and at local talent shows. In 1988, the group began its professional singing career after signing with their first label Savoy Records, which also signed Pace as a solo artist.

The Anointed Pace Sisters released seven albums between 1988 and 2009. Of those, four charted on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart. Pace, released her first solo album "He Lives" in 1990. The lead single, "I Know I've Been Changed," reached No. 2 on the Billboard gospel charts and became her signature song.

Several other albums followed including "Shekinah Glory," "Wealthy Place," "Just Because God Said It," "God Is Faithful," "It’s My Time," "Complete" and "Reborn."

In recent years, Pace's career experienced a bit of a renaissance thanks to her 1996 hit "Act Like You Know" being used as part of an eponymously named TikTok challenge.

Ye Barred From Performing at 2022 Grammys for 'Concerning Online Behavior'

Courtesy of Netflix

Billionaire, musician, recent divorcee and habitual line-stepper, Kanye West, has been barred from performing at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

A spokesman for the 44-year-old artist, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, confirmed the allegations first reported by The Blast late Friday, saying he had been “unfortunately” removed from the lineup of performers for the show due to his “concerning online behavior.”

While the Recording Academy has yet to detail its reasons for the change, it comes on the heels of West using a racial slur against "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah, who is slated to host this year's edition of the award show.

Kanye West is turning a worship song into a racial slur because Trevor Noah just laid out the facts? What is that Sunday service gimmick about then? #Kanye pic.twitter.com/afLadFHyeU

— Melissa Olsen (@MelOlsen23) March 16, 2022

Instagram issued a temporary 24-hour ban on the rapper's account Thursday over violations of its hate speech and harassment policy in response to him posting a photo of Noah, over a bastardized version of the song "Kumbaya" with a reworked title and lyrics featuring a racial epitaph.

The attack came after Noah did a segment on “The Daily Show” about West's public attacks on his ex Kim Kardashian and her new boyfriend, Pete Davidson.

"What’s weird about the situation is Kanye West has told us that he struggles with his mental health,” Noah said during the episode. “So I get it, you wanna have art as therapy. But here’s what’s weird that Kanye doesn’t understand. It’s like, what we’re seeing is — it makes you uncomfortable.”

How classy is Trevor Noah's response to #Kanye 's slur though? pic.twitter.com/GWCy1jgGqA

— Ms. Siya Miti (@SiyaMiti_the1st) March 17, 2022

Noah continued: “With Kanye, we don’t know how to feel. We don’t know how to worry. I think Kanye doesn’t seem to understand that. He goes, ‘Leave me to create my art.’ Yeah but Kanye, you told us you have problems. Now when we worry about that, you say we shouldn’t worry because it’s not [his] problem. Or it is [his] problems? Which is it?”

The 22-time Grammy winner is up for five nominations this year, including album of the year for his album "Donda." Named after his late mother, it is a star-studded tribute to the professor who tragically passed away at the age of 58 in 2007 following cosmetic surgery.

West, who is also up for best rap song for the track "Jail," has received ample criticism for his recent actions — which include making a video in which he kills Davidson. He may have gained, however, an unlikely defender in Noah.

On Sunday, seemingly in response to the ban, the Grammy host tweeted, “I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye."

I said counsel Kanye not cancel Kanye.

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) March 20, 2022

R&B singer, Timmy Thomas, dead at 77

R&B Legend Whose Anti-War Anthem Sampled by Drake for 'Hotline Bling' Dies 

Timmy Thomas, whose soulful plea for peace in the waning years of the Vietnam War, "Why Cant' We Live Together," made him a worldwide star — has died at the age of 77.

His wife, Lillie (Brown) Thomas, confirmed to the New York Times that the R&B singer died on Friday at a hospital in Miami of cancer.

Following his death, the family thanked fans and supporters on his official Facebook page Saturday.

“With appreciation and gratitude, the family extends a thank you for the prayers, support, precious words and other expressions of love and kindness during this time," read the post.

In 1973, "Why Can't We Live Together" hit No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart (No. 3 on the Hot 100). The hit made Thomas a star, and the record went on to sell over two million copies.

He drew inspiration for the song from the “CBS Evening News.” Thomas was watching Walter Cronkite relay the evening's death count from the Vietnam War in the summer of 1972 when he began to question himself.

Steve Terrell, CC BY 2.0, Performing at SXSW 2016 via

Wikimedia Commons

“I said, ‘what?!’ You mean that many mothers’ children died today?” He told Spin magazine in 2015. “In a war that we can’t come to the table and sit down and talk about this, without so many families losing their loved ones?’ I said, ‘Why can’t we live together?’”

The release has been covered several times by prominent musicians, including Sade, Santana and Steve Windwood. Its simple arrangement and healing message have become a protests staple. While its lasting influence in popular culture is undeniable, a fact showcased when rap superstar Drake sampled it for his hit 2015 No. 1 rap hit "Hotline Bling."