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Rosalind Ashford, the soprano behind hits from Martha and the Vandellas including “Dancing in the Street” and “Heat Wave,” has died. She was 83.

The singer died of natural causes on Tuesday in the Michigan suburb of Redford Township, per the Detroit Free Press.

Ashford was an original member of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, best known for their timeless soul pop songs. She sang on more than 20 of the group’s top 40 singles on Billboard’s R&B chart, including “Heat Wave,” which hit No. 1, and “Dancing in the Street,” which peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rosalind Ashford,” Martha Reeves said in a statement. “Rosalind played an important part in the early days of Martha and the Vandellas. Her voice will forever be with us through our great recordings together, and she will be missed, but never forgotten. Our Motown Family has just gotten a little smaller. My heart is heavy.”

In 1995, Martha and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the second all-female group to land the acclaim.

Born on Sept. 2, 1943, to John and Mary Ashford, the budding soprano developed her chops singing in the church choir and then in the glee club at Wilbur Wright High School in Detroit. In 1957, the musically inclined teen landed an audition at the Detroit YMCA, and it was there that she, Annette Beard and Gloria Williams linked up with local music manager Edward “Pops” Larkins, and formed the girl group the Del-Phis.

According to the Motown Museum, the Del-Phis invited Reeves — then a secretary to William “Mickey” Stevenson, Motown’s Artists and Repertoire director — to join their girl group. Together, they took on gigs as backup singers, including on Marvin Gaye’s early songs “Hitch Hike” and “Pride and Joy.”

The Del-Phis became Martha and the Vandellas when “My Guy” singer Mary Wells missed a fortuitous recording session. Reeves, with the Del-Phis singing backup, filled in for Wells, and Motown was so impressed, the label signed the group to the Gordy label in 1962, sans Williams, who left the group around this time.

The trio’s breakout hit, “Come and Get These Memories,” was released in 1963 and performed well on the Billboard charts, reaching No. 6 on the R&B singles chart. “(Love Is Like a) “Heat Wave” dropped the same year and topped the charts, followed by “Quicksand,” which also became a top-10 hit. The 1967 song “Jimmy Mack” went to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and was the final top-10 hit in the U.S. for the group.

“Heat Wave” scored the group a Grammy nomination for best R&B recording for 1964 and made the trio the first Grammy-nominated Motown group.

Ashford left the group and the music business behind in 1969, and worked at the Michigan Bell Telephone Co., though she would occasionally reunite with former Vandellas members for reunion performances.

Classic Motown posted a tribute to the singer on Thursday, writing that her harmonies served as the soundtrack to a generation. “The Motown family mourns the passing of a true icon, Rosalind Ashford,” read the statement. “As an original founding member of Martha and the Vandellas, Rosalind’s vocal talent helped define the golden era of the Motown sound.

“Rosalind’s contribution to American music and Motown history will never be forgotten. Rest in power, Rosalind. Thank you for the music.”

An aspiring Los Angeles-area rapper was arrested on Wednesday and charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar check-cashing scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ada William Obayuwana of Quartz Hill, who goes by “ColdheartedAC” and “AC,” and two others were charged in a 25-count federal grand jury indictment alleging that they illegally possessed more than 50 stolen U.S. Treasury checks and hundreds of other checks belonging to individuals and businesses worth more than $8.1 million, then cashed or attempted to cash them at lenders throughout Southern California.

Albert Tai Vu, of Westminster, and Cassandra Marie Murrillo, of San Diego, are the other two defendants charged in the case.

According to the indictment, between April 2022 and December 2023, the trio obtained the stolen checks, some containing tax refunds and veterans’ and Social Security Administration benefits, then forged endorsements or modified names and addresses to steal the money.

The trio is accused of opening bank accounts to receive the money. They also used business documents to impersonate the identities of the victims connected to the stolen checks and deposited the money into bank and credit union accounts across Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, the indictment says.

During this period, Obayuwana allegedly tried to cash at least three Treasury tax refund checks worth $382,109 and was successful in cashing one, withdrawing $229,109, federal authorities allege.

In December 2023, Obayuwana “possessed in his car in Oceanside more than 100 stolen or fraudulent checks, cumulatively worth more than $6.1 million,” states the indictment. Among the checks were 48 stolen Treasury checks worth some $2,555,417 in tax refunds, veterans’ benefits,and Social Security benefits.

Obayuwana was able to cash eight of them worth about $1.7 million, according to federal investigators.

Vu tried to cash at least six Treasury checks totaling $2.15 million and successfully cashed two tax fund refunds worth $772,159, the indictment says. He also allegedly cashed a pair of cashier’s checks, each valued at $250,000, at an Anaheim bank and used money from one to buy a Range Rover and the second to pay Murillo.

Murillo is accused of trying to cash at least two checks worth $60,193, successfully cashing one for $31,405.

Following his arrest, Obayuwana remains in federal custody. He is charged with nine counts of bank fraud and faces three counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Vu, who was arrested Thursday, is charged with five counts of delivering stolen Treasury checks, four counts of money laundering and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Murillo, who is expected to surrender to federal authorities in Los Angeles on Monday, is charged with an additional count of delivering stolen Treasury checks.