soul ii soul r&b singer melissa bell dies at 53

R&B fans around the world are mourning the sudden passing of Soul II Soul singer Melissa Bell, who died this past Monday. Her daughter, X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke announced her mother’s passing over Twitter:

❤️ pic.twitter.com/cn8l4ovmRQ

— Alexandra Burke (@alexandramusic) August 29, 2017

💔xx pic.twitter.com/blNDNKIm5b

— Alexandra Burke (@alexandramusic) August 29, 2017

Bell was best known for her debut solo single ‘Reconsider’ and the mainstream success she achieved when she joined Soul II Soul in 1993, recording their hits ‘Wish’ and ‘Be a Man’ because leaving to pursue other projects. And although her time with Soul II Soul was short, Bell and her daughter, Burke, enjoyed that shared connection with the music. “My career as a singer has given her the ambition to do better than I did,” Bell said, “And if she has a child I’m pretty sure it will go even further,” Bell said in a 2015 interviewBell said in a 2015 interview.