'X Factor' star Simone Battle of G.R.L. found dead


Singer Simone Battle, who rose to fame on "The X Factor," was found dead in her Los Angeles home.

TMZ broke the story and reports that the 25-year-old's death was an apparent suicide.

CNN reports that Battle was an L.A. native who grew up singing in a church choir and studied music and songwriting at the University of Southern California.

>> Read more trending stories

Battle's music career started to take off after her run on "The X Factor" in 2011.

She signed on as one-fifth of the pop group G.R.L., which is best known for its collaboration with Pitbull on "Wild Wild Love."

G.R.L. was started by Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin as the next generation of her original group.

The group commemorated Battle on its Twitter account, writing: "Words cannot express the depth of our loss. Simone's incredible talent was only surpassed by the size of her heart."

Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, who knew Battle from their time on "The X Factor," dedicated her performance to the late singer in South Africa on Saturday night.

About the Author