Rochelle Fleming, the powerhouse lead singer who turned First Choice into a disco institution, died Nov. 5 in Philadelphia at 72, according to a statement shared on her Facebook page by longtime manager George Iz Correia. No cause of death was disclosed.

The announcement described Fleming as someone who 'brought light, laughter and love to the world,' with funeral arrangements to be announced later. According to Yahoo, Fleming was a lifelong member of Philadelphia's Christian Hope Baptist Church, whose choir she shared her voice with.

Correia, who says he managed her for 17 years, wrote 'PLEASE KNOW THAT ROCHELLE LOVED ALL OF YOU,' explaining that Fleming preferred calling her supporters 'sweeties' rather than fans.

He also encouraged listeners to keep celebrating her music, saying 'I know Rochelle would not want her sweeties sad during this time.'

According to Complex, Fleming's career began at Philadelphia's Overbrook High School, where she joined fellow students Annette Guest and Wardell Piper in a vocal group originally called the Debonettes.

With help from radio personality Georgie Woods, the singers connected with producer Norman Harris and songwriter Allan Felder and became First Choice in 1971, as Yahoo reports.

Their breakthrough arrived in 1973 with 'Armed and Extremely Dangerous,' which reached No. 11 on Billboard's R&B chart and cracked the pop Top 30.

Hits like 'Smarty Pants,' 'The Player,' 'Guilty,' 'Doctor Love,' 'Love Thang' and 'Double Cross' followed, establishing the group as a major force in dance music. After First Choice's 1980 breakup, Fleming kept recording solo tracks including 'Love Itch,' 'Danger!' and 'Suffer the Consequences.'

What makes Fleming's death resonate for singers is that her voice never disappeared when disco's commercial heyday ended — it was carried forward by other artists.

Complex reports that Mary J. Blige covered First Choice's 'Let No Man Put Asunder' on her 1999 album Mary, while J. Cole sampled the group's 'Wake Up to Me' on his 2019 hit 'Middle Child.'

Originally recorded for First Choice's 1977 album Delusions, 'Let No Man Put Asunder' also became a dance hit after its 1983 single release, with DJs and producers keeping the recording in circulation long after the group broke up.

The story shows how a single vocalist's performance can find entirely new audiences across disco, R&B and hip-hop generations, a reminder that great singing keeps traveling long after its original moment.

Complex reports that Fleming's death comes shortly after fellow First Choice founder Wardell Piper's previously unreleased 1980 recording 'Anywhere' finally surfaced after nearly five decades — an unexpected coda to the group's story.

Correia's tribute, according to Complex, recalled Fleming's love of The Golden Girls, saying she would text him random dialogue from the sitcom on Sundays. Her manager's message to 'sweeties' was clear: grieve, but keep playing the music.

Few singers can claim their voice reached audiences across the globe the way Yahoo says Fleming's did.