By Sandra Livingston // EEW Magazine Online // Death

LaShun Pace, the fifth oldest of the group, The Anointed Pace Sisters, died of organ failure after being on kidney dialysis for five years.

Before her sad demise, the 60-year-old was inspired by her latest viral TikTok trend based on her song, “Act Like You Know,” to work on new music and negotiate with a record label for a potential new deal, according to 11Alive’s Shiba Russell.

Tragically, the trailblazer and beloved soprano vocalist never got the chance to realize those dreams.

“My mother was a genuine, authentic woman of God,” said the late singer’s only living child, daughter Aarion Pace Rhodes, in a virtual interview with 11Alive. Pace’s eldest daughter, Xenia, died suddenly in Feb. 2001 of a heart attack. She was 11 years old.

Despite the devastation, Pace continued serving God and uplifting hearts with her melodious voice, always remaining real, honest, and intentional about helping others.

“I heard someone say that authenticity requires transparency and vulnerability and integrity, and she embodied all of those things,” said Aarion Pace Rhodes. “She sang the word of God. She preached the word of God, but more importantly, she lived it.”

According to the grieving daughter who hopes to record some of her mother’s hits to keep LaShun Pace’s legacy alive, the iconic songstress wanted people to remember her, above all, “as an evangelist.”

Born Tarrian LaShun Pace on Sep. 6, 1961, the parents of the gospel luminary, Bishop M.J. Pace and Bettie Ann Pace raised her in a small community called Poole Creek, a neighborhood in Atlanta, GA. During the mid–1970s, she began singing solo and later joined her siblings— Duranice, Phyllis, June, Melonda, Dejuaii, Leslie, Latrice, and Lydia— in the group, The Anointed Pace Sisters.

In 1990, she released her debut album, He Lives, which skyrocketed to the number two spot on Billboard’s gospel charts and featured her most loved and well-known hit, "I Know I've Been Changed."

The Stellar Award-winning gospel artist was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2007.