LaMonte McLemore, a singer and founding member of the Grammy-winning vocal group The 5th Dimension, died Tuesday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 90.
McLemore died of natural causes after suffering a stroke, according to a statement from his representative, Jeremy Westby. He was surrounded by family at the time of his death. Tributes from former bandmates and collaborators described him as warm, humorous, and deeply devoted to both music and friendship.
“All of us who knew and loved him will definitely miss his energy and wonderful sense of humor,” former bandmates Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. said in a statement.
McLemore was a key figure in The 5th Dimension, a group whose polished harmonies and genre-blending sound brought sustained mainstream success during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The group won six Grammy Awards, including record of the year twice, first for “Up, Up and Away” in 1967 and again for “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” in 1969. The latter spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the era’s defining pop recordings.
In addition to their chart success, The 5th Dimension achieved rare crossover appeal at a time when racial divisions often shaped musical audiences. The group appeared regularly on television variety shows, performed at the White House, and participated in an international State Department cultural tour.
Their performance at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival was later featured in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s 2021 documentary “Summer of Soul.”
The group formally came together in the mid-1960s after several earlier collaborations. McLemore sang previously with McCoo in a jazz ensemble called the Hi-Fi’s. Along with McCoo, Davis Jr., Ronald Townson, and Florence LaRue, McLemore helped establish The 5th Dimension after signing with Johnny Rivers’ Soul City Records.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1935, McLemore’s early life extended beyond music. He served in the U.S. Navy as an aerial photographer and later worked professionally as a sports and celebrity photographer, with his work appearing in publications including Jet magazine.
He also spent time in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system before turning his focus fully to the arts.
McLemore maintained a parallel career behind the camera even as his music gained prominence. In 2014, he co-authored with Robert-Allan Arno an autobiography titled “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension,” detailing his life in baseball, photography, and music.
McLemore is survived by his wife of 30 years, Mieko McLemore, his daughter Ciara, son Darin, sister Joan, and three grandchildren.
