Legendary Voice Behind Some of Disco’s Most Enduring Anthems Dead at 72

Rochelle Fleming, lead singer of the disco group First Choice, has died aged 72. Her death marks the loss of a singer whose powerful voice helped define several enduring disco hits and who continued making music after the group split.

Fleming died on 5 November in Philadelphia, according to a message on her official Instagram account; no cause was given. First Choice recorded songs including “Armed and Extremely Dangerous”, “The Player (Part 1)”, “Smarty Pants” and “Doctor Love”, and Fleming later pursued a solo career. Her manager recalled that she called supporters her “sweeties”; her last released track was a 2025 collaboration with Terry Hunter, while her last performance was in New York in 2019.