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| LaMonte McLemore (1936-2026) |
LaMonte McLemore, the founder and a key vocalist of the Grammy-winning pop-soul group The 5th Dimension, has died at age 90.
He passed away on Tuesday at his home in Las Vegas, surrounded by his wife of 30 years, Mieko McLemore, and family. His death was due to natural causes following a stroke he suffered several years earlier, his representatives confirmed.
McLemore was instrumental in the group's success during the late 1960s and early 1970s, helping blend pop, soul, and psychedelic elements into crossover hits that defined an era. The 5th Dimension earned two Record of the Year Grammy Awards—for "Up, Up and Away" in 1968 and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" in 1970—and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.
Born in 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri, McLemore served in the U.S. Navy as an aerial photographer before briefly pursuing professional baseball.
After moving to Southern California, he shifted to music, founding The 5th Dimension in Los Angeles with Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, and Ron Townson. The group became a staple on major TV variety shows, toured internationally—including a 1973 U.S. State Department cultural tour behind the Iron Curtain—and left a lasting mark on popular music.
According to USAToday, Former bandmates remembered him fondly. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. said, "All of us who knew and loved him will definitely miss his energy and wonderful sense of humor."
Florence LaRue added: "Proverbs 17:22 states that 'A joyful heart is good medicine…' Well, Lamonte really knew my prescription! His cheerfulness and laughter often brought strength and refreshment to me in difficult times. We were more like brother and sister than singing partners. I didn't realize the depth of my love for Lamonte until he was no longer here. His absence has shown me the magnitude of what he meant to me and that love will stay in my heart forever."