ATLANTA — UPDATE: The services have concluded, but can be rewatched here.
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The life of legendary gospel singer LaShun Pace was celebrated Saturday with services held in Austell at 11 a.m.
The celebration of life services was held at Word of Faith Worship Cathedral. Gospel music rang through the church as crowds in pink filled the seats.
Pace died on March 21 at 60 years old. She was on dialysis for five years waiting for a kidney and died of organ failure her sister, Lydia Pace, told 11Alive's Shiba Russell.
"She was the baddest soprano to ever walk on this side of heaven," Cecile Armant said to the crowd Saturday afternoon.
Armant said she played Pace's music throughout the dormitories in college, adding that others were lifted up by her spiritual songs as well.
The Atlanta native was part of the renowned sibling gospel group The Anointed Pace Sisters. Born in Atlanta's Poole Creek community, the Grammy-nominated group made up of nine sisters first shared their family melody in church and local talent shows before rising to gospel stardom.
Known for her hit songs "I Know I've Been Changed" and "Act Like You Know," Pace also carved out her own career and released solo albums. A snippet of LaShun’s 1996 hit ‘Act Like You Know’ recently became a TikTok trend, which Lydia said LaShun was so excited about, encouraging her to start working on another album.
Loved ones call LaShun the trailblazer of the family, moving them to love gospel and jazz music as well.
"I celebrate because indeed all of her major accomplishments, assaults that were against her, devastating heartbreaks, losses, diverse various factors of life that we deem hardships -- she overcame," Pastor Liza Pace said.
Pace was the fifth oldest of all of her siblings. Her death is the third loss for the Atlanta family within two years. The oldest of the sisters, Duranice Pace, passed away last year. LaShun is survived by seven of the nine Pace sisters and an adult daughter.
That daughter, Aarion Rhodes, is also a singer. She hopes to one day cover the songs her mother used to sing.
"It was important for me to share my gifts and not just my gifts but to share the character that she instilled in me... the woman she groomed me to be," she said.