LaMonte McLemore never stopped being a St. Louis boy at heart. He carried The Ville with him when he broke barriers in the Dodgers’ farm system, when he captured icons through his lens at Jet and when he helped shape one of the most influential vocal groups of the 20th century.
McLemore, a founding member of The 5th Dimension and a pioneering photographer whose work shaped how Black America saw itself, died Tuesday, February 3 at his home in Las Vegas. He was 90. His family confirmed he passed of natural causes after years of health challenges following a stroke.
Before the Grammys, the global tours, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame star, McLemore was a kid from St. Louis with big dreams and a bigger work ethic—traits he shared with fellow St. Louisans Billy Davis Jr. and Ron Townson. Together, they carried the city’s musical DNA into a group that would redefine pop, soul and R&B for a generation.
In 2014, McLemore chronicled his extraordinary journey in “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension”, a memoir that traced his path from St. Louis to international stages.
Their lush harmonies and genre-blending sound helped usher in a new era of American music. “Up, Up and Away” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” became cultural touchstones, each earning Record of the Year at the Grammys and later induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
But for McLemore, the magic started long before the spotlight.
“As a childhood friend to me from St. Louis, Mo., he will certainly be missed,” Davis told Deadline.com, remembering the boy he grew up with before the world knew their names.
Marylin McCoo recalled how McLemore’s generosity shaped the group’s earliest days. “Lamonte loved music and was always so generous, making his photography studio available to us in our early years before the hits started,” she said.
Florence LaRue shared a tribute rooted in the kind of bond that can only be forged over decades of shared stages, struggles and triumphs. “‘A joyful heart is good medicine…’ Well, Lamonte really knew my prescription,” she said. “We were more like brother and sister than singing partners… His absence has shown me the magnitude of what he meant to me.”
Townson, another proud St. Louis native who helped anchor the group’s sound, died in 2001. But the imprint of these three sons of the city—McLemore, Davis and Townson—remains woven into the group’s legacy.
Born September 17, 1935, McLemore grew up in St. Louis before serving in the U.S. Navy, where he trained as an aerial photographer. That skill became a lifelong calling. His images—especially those for Jet—captured Black excellence, beauty and power during some of the most pivotal decades in American culture.
He also broke barriers in sports, joining the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system as one of its first African American players. But it was in Southern California that his passions converged: photography, music, and the creative spark that would lead to The 5th Dimension’s formation in 1966.
The group went on to earn seven Gold albums, six Platinum singles, and a global fan base that spanned generations. Their music resurfaced for a new audience in Questlove’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul, where McLemore and his bandmates were celebrated for their role in the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
In 2014, McLemore chronicled his extraordinary journey in “From Hobo Flats to The 5th Dimension”, a memoir that traced his path from St. Louis to international stages.
He is survived by his wife Mieko McLemore, daughter Ciara, son Darin, sister Joan, and three grandchildren.
Information from Deadline.com contributed to this report.