LaShun Pace
LaShun Pace | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tarrian LaShun Pace |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | September 6, 1961 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | March 21, 2022 (aged 60) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1976–2022 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | The Anointed Pace Sisters |
| Website | singlashun |
Tarrian LaShun Pace (September 6, 1961 – March 21, 2022),[1] professionally known as LaShun Pace and sometimes credited as LaShun Pace-Rhodes or Shun Pace-Rhodes, was an American gospel singer, songwriter and evangelist. Pace was also a Stellar Award winner[citation needed].
Biography
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]Pace was the fifth of ten children born to Pastor Murphy J. Pace and Bettie Ann Pace in Atlanta. Pace along with her sisters and brother were raised in a small community called Poole Creek. For high school, Pace attended Walter F. George High School (now known as South Atlanta High School); graduating in 1979.[2]
Career
[edit]Pace began singing professionally during her teen years in the mid-1970s, performing solo and later alongside her sisters in the group The Anointed Pace Sisters, which formed in the late 1980s. Pace's singing and ministering skills were honed while she was on tour with the Rev. Gene Martin and the Action Revival Team, and with The Edwin Hawkins Singers from 1986 until her death.
In 1988 she recorded In the House of the Lord with Dr. Jonathan Greer and the Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ Choirs for Savoy Records. The label signed Pace as a solo artist soon afterwards. In 1990, she released her debut album He Lives, which reached the number two spot on the Billboard gospel charts and featured her signature song "I Know I've Been Changed". The follow-up song Shekinah Glory, appeared in 1993. Three years later, Pace returned with Wealthy Place, which included the song "Act Like You Know" featuring Karen Clark Sheard.
In addition to successive releases such as 1998's Just Because God Said It, Pace also enjoyed a career as an actress, most notably co-starring as the Angel of Mercy in the 1992 Steve Martin film Leap of Faith.[3] LaShun Pace was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame[4] in 2007. She was to attend the official presentation ceremony with many guests to be formally inducted, but became ill and unable to attend. In 2009, LaShun was nominated for Urban Performer of the Year in the Visionary Awards. Winners were to be announced live during the 2009 Christian Music Hall of Fame Awards Show on November 14, 2009.[5]
Illness and death
[edit]Pace had been on dialysis for several years and was awaiting a kidney. She died of organ failure according to her family on March 21, 2022, at the age of 60.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Pace was married to Edward Rhodes, a Georgia–based pastor, from 1985 until divorcing in 1993 following Rhodes' repeated affairs with men.[7] Pace met Rhodes by joining a backup group with Reverend James Moore. Pace was featured on his recording projects in 2000. Rhodes was responsible for producing and managing Pace, The Anointed Pace Sisters and Pastor Murphy Pace III. His management led to her signing with Savoy Malaco Records. Together they had two daughters, Xenia and Aarion.
In 2003, Pace released an autobiography entitled For My Good But For His Glory, in which she discussed a wide range of topics, including the death of her first-born daughter Xenia, who had an enlarged heart and died of a heart attack.
Discography
[edit]- In the House of the Lord with Dr. Jonathan Greer and the Cathedral of Faith Choir (1988)
- He Lives (1990)
- Shekinah Glory (1993)
- A Wealthy Place (1996)
- Just Because God Said It (1998)
- God Is Faithful (2001)
- It's My Time (2005)
- Complete (2007)
- Reborn (2011)
- "By Your Word" (2014)
- "Joy" (2019)
- "The Spirit" (2021)
References
[edit]- ^ Dodge, Timothy (2013). The School of Arizona Dranes: Gospel Music Pioneer. Lexington Books. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-7391-6713-7.
- ^ Classmates - 1977 Walter F. High School (Atlanta, Georgia) Georgian Yearbook
- ^ Rossi, Rosemary (March 21, 2022). "LaShun Pace, Legendary Gospel Singer, Dies at 60". TheWrap. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ Official Christian Music Hall of Fame web site Archived 2010-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "hallmuseum.com - hallmuseum Resources and Information". hallmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
- ^ Nunez, Gabrielle; Suro, Paolo (March 21, 2022). "Renowned gospel singer-songwriter from Atlanta dies, family says". 11 Alive. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ Silliman, Daniel (2022-03-29). "Died: Gospel Singer LaShun Pace, Who Praised God from 1970s Revivals to 2020s TikTok". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
- Official website
- The official Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum page announcing both her induction into the Hall of Fame and the 2009 Awards Show information page.
- LaShun Pace discography at Discogs
- LaShun Pace at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1961 births
- 2022 deaths
- African-American women songwriters
- American gospel singers
- American autobiographers
- Singers from Atlanta
- Writers from Atlanta
- American Pentecostals
- Members of the Church of God in Christ
- American women autobiographers
- Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)
- American women non-fiction writers
- 20th-century African-American women singers
- 20th-century American women singers
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century African-American women singers
- 21st-century American women singers