Vesta Williams: ‘80s R&B diva found dead in a hotel room at 53

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Vesta Williams, the R&B singer who rose to fame in the ‘80s, was found dead Thursday evening in an El Segundo hotel room. She was 53.

Though no official cause of death had been determined Friday, John Kades of the L.A. County coroner’s office told the Associated Press that it ‘could be a drug overdose.’ An autopsy will be conducted, though foul play was not suspected.

Williams’ hits included ‘Sweet Sweet Love,’ ‘Once Bitten Twice Shy’ and ‘Congratulations,’ a tale of heartbreak over a love marrying someone else that she later described to Mo’Nique as ‘a premonition that came true’ (video below). Williams appeared on the sitcom ‘Sister Sister’ several times in the late 1990s, playing a best friend to Jackée Harry’s character.

‘Just received truly devastating news: R&B great, and my friend of many yrs, Vesta Williams (@vesta4u) has passed away,’ Harry said early Friday on Twitter.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that multiple bottles of prescription pills were found in the room, where Williams’ body was discovered around 6:15 p.m. Toxicology test results typically come in around six weeks after an autopsy is conducted.

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-- Christie D’Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville