Rochelle Fleming, lead singer of First Choice, dies at 72

Rochelle Fleming, the lead singer and a founder of the Philadelphia disco group First Choice, whose vocal on "Let No Man Put Asunder" became one of the foundation records of house music, died on November 5 in Philadelphia at the age of 72.

Her manager, George Iz Correia, announced the death in a statement posted to Fleming's official Instagram account on behalf of her family. The post gave no cause of death and no other details.

First Choice recorded for Philly Groove, then Warner Bros., then Gold Mind, the label run by their producer Norman Harris, and charted on the R&B, pop and dance listings through the 1970s. Fleming's voice outlasted the group. The record that became its signature, "Let No Man Put Asunder," was not released as a single until 1983, three years after the trio stopped working together.

What the statement said

Correia wrote that it was with a heavy heart that he shared the passing of Rochelle Fleming-Finney, the name Fleming used in later years. She brought "light, laughter and love" to the world, the statement said.

In a separate tribute posted to Instagram on November 8, Correia wrote that Fleming "never uttered a harsh word about anyone (unless you were chewing gum)." He said she despised referring to her supporters as "fans" and that they were known affectionately as her "sweeties."

Although my heartbreak is unbearable and the gravity of the situation hit at the most sporadic times, I have so many wonderful memories with Rochelle that I can't help but to smile with immense gratitude.

Correia wrote that Fleming would not want anyone sad, and asked that people keep celebrating the legacy of First Choice's music. He closed the post with a line to her directly: "Sleep on Ro, I love and miss you."

The statement said services to celebrate Fleming's life would be announced later, and no date has been set. No cause of death has been released. Fleming was born in Philadelphia in 1954 and grew up there.

From Overbrook High to Philly Groove

Fleming started singing with her friends Annette Guest and Wardell Piper at Overbrook High School, in a group they called The Debonettes, and the three performed in clubs around Philadelphia after school. The radio DJ Georgie Woods introduced them to Norman Harris, the producer who shaped their sound for years and made their first record. The trio became First Choice.

Their first single, "This Is the House (Where Love Died)," became a favorite on Philadelphia radio and in dance clubs but did not chart nationally. The follow-up did. "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" reached No. 11 on the R&B chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 and climbed into the UK top 20.

First Choice formed in Philadelphia in 1971. Piper left for a solo career before the first album was released, though she sang on it, and Joyce Jones took her place. Malanie McSears also sang with The Debonettes but left before the trio became First Choice.

The chart years, 1973 to 1979

The hit carried First Choice onto national television, on Soul Train, American Bandstand and Dinah. "Smarty Pants" went to No. 25 on the R&B chart and No. 9 in Britain, the group's biggest UK single. "The Player (Part 1)" became their biggest R&B hit in 1974, peaking at No. 7, and "Newsy Neighbors" and "Guilty" also charted.

The group signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1976, with Ursula Herring replacing Jones, and recorded the dance tracks "Gotta Get Away (From You Baby)" and "Ain't He Bad" along with the title song of the album "So Let Us Entertain You."

In 1977 they followed Harris to Gold Mind Records, his own label, and released "Delusions," the album long regarded as their best. Its single "Doctor Love" reached No. 8 on the dance chart and No. 41 on the Hot 100.

"Hold Your Horses," released in 1979 with Debbie Martin in the lineup, produced the dance hits "Hold Your Horses," which reached No. 5, "Double Cross" and "Love Thang." The original group went separate ways in 1980.

The single released after the split

In 1983, Salsoul Records released "Let No Man Put Asunder," an album track from "Delusions," as a single, and Fleming's lead vocal carried it to No. 13 on the Billboard dance chart, three years after the group had stopped recording together.

The track became the group's signature song and one of the foundational records of house music, sampled by Todd Terry and the Jungle Brothers and covered by Mary J. Blige on her 1999 album "Mary." Remixes by Shep Pettibone and Frankie Knuckles made it a fixture of the Chicago house scene.

Samples kept the voice working

J. Cole sampled First Choice's "Wake Up to Me" on "Middle Child" in 2019, putting the group in front of a new audience. BMG, which holds the group's Salsoul catalog, said "Let No Man Put Asunder" became "particularly influential, embraced by generations of DJs and producers through remixes, samples and reinterpretations."

Her recorded work is spread across four labels: Philly Groove and Gold Mind, both tied to Harris, Warner Bros. and Salsoul, which issued the 1983 single. Remixes of "Doctor Love," "The Player" and "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" returned those recordings to the charts in later years.

Fleming formed a new version of First Choice in the 1980s with her cousin Laconya Fleming and Lawrence Cottel, releasing "Love Itch" on Prelude Records, and recorded the dance singles "Danger!" and "Suffer the Consequences" for Cutting Records in the 1990s.

A reunion and a last session

On August 6, 2014, Fleming reunited with Guest, Piper and Herring for a concert at the East River Bandshell in New York City, on a bill with other acts from the Salsoul roster. She kept recording and performing internationally after the group split, and was still on stage in her 70s.

Her final track, "Balls 2 Bounce," was a 2025 collaboration with Terry Hunter, more than half a century after her first single.

She died a week after the release of "Anywhere," a recording by her former groupmate Wardell Piper that had sat unreleased for nearly 50 years.

First Choice is still working without her, with Annette Guest and Ursula Herring performing as The First Choice alongside Andre Jackson. Fleming and Annette Guest were in every lineup from 1971 until the split, with Fleming singing lead through three changes of personnel.

Tributes in Philadelphia and clubs

Christian Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia, which Fleming attended from childhood, wrote on Facebook that she "remained a faithful member all her life" and that even as a world-renowned artist she always came home. "When Rochelle stepped forward for a solo, the whole sanctuary leaned in," the church said. The DJ Lenny Fontana wrote that Fleming is "probably one of the most sampled in current dance music."