Rochelle Fleming-Finney, Lead Singer of First Choice, Dies at 72
Rochelle Fleming-Finney, co-founder and lead vocalist of the Philadelphia group First Choice, died on Nov. 5, 2026. She was 72.
The news was shared on the singer's Instagram page over the weekend. The post said she died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Billboard published an obituary on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Fleming was born in Philadelphia on Feb. 11, 1954. While she was still in high school, she formed a vocal group called the Debonettes with Annette Guest and Wardell Piper. The group later changed its name to First Choice while its members were students at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia.
First Choice became known for disco soul, a style from the 1970s that pairs soulful singing with dance-floor rhythms. The group recorded songs including "Let No Man Put Asunder," "Doctor Love" and "Guilty." Those titles are the ones most often cited when people look back at the group's work, and they remain the easiest way for new listeners to hear what Fleming sang on.
Her career began in a school hallway, not a studio. That is a useful reminder that many recording acts start as friends who sing together for fun, long before anyone is buying their records.
