TRENTON – Sarah Dash, the acclaimed songwriter, actress and co-founder of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles of Trenton, died in Trenton on Monday.
She was 76 years old. Her death came unexpectedly and the cause was unknown, although she had complained to her family that she was not doing well in the days before her death, Mayor Reed Gusciora said.
“She was a superstar herself,” said Gusciora. “She could have gone anywhere after her fame and success and she chose to go back to her Trenton roots.”
Dash was one of two dozen award winners to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in a virtual ceremony next month. Her 1974 hit song “Lady Marmalade” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003.
The seventh of 13 children of a pastor and a nurse, Dash began her career with the girl group Del Capris and later teamed up with Grammy-winning Patti LaBelle. She continued to tour with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
In 1978 she released a self-titled debut album that included the disco hit “Sinner Man” and was signed to Manhattan Records in 1988 to release the album “You’re All I Need”.
Attributed to music for having changed her life, Dash started singing in elementary school and won her first competition at a nightclub called the Crossing Inn.
She studied violin and, according to a profile of her on community news, was the only black girl in the orchestra.
“Music really healed my mind,” Dash told the point of sale.
While Dash lived in places like Washington DC, Las Vegas, and New York, she was drawn back to the capital, where she lived in her childhood home in Trenton’s West Ward.
In 2017 she was appointed musical ambassador for the capital by then Mayor Eric Jackson.
“Sarah is truly a music legend and we consider her a brilliant blessing to our city,” Jackson said at the time.
She has been a mainstay at city events and has performed at the Levitt Amp Music Series in Mill Hill Park.
“I understand [music’s] Potential to influence the intellectual, social, and emotional development of our city’s children, and I want to use my God-given gifts to teach them how to embrace the life-changing power of music, ”Dash told NJ Spotlight.
“She was popular in Trenton because she has never hesitated to use her talents to improve the lives of Trenton residents, whether by promoting the arts in the local community or, more recently, by helping them during the coronavirus pandemic stood up as a role model and used their voice to encourage everyone to get vaccinated, “said Brian Hughes, executive of Mercer County, in a statement released Monday. “She has been an inspiration to so many and she will be missed.”
Gusciora said Dash’s commitment to the city is eternal.
She was among the prominent Trentonians the mayor tapped earlier this year to get the COVID-19 vaccine at the CURE Insurance Arena when city officials tried to combat vaccine reluctance.
Dash, never shy about dressing up, showed up in a fur coat and hat, a pearl necklace and a sequin mask.
“She has traveled the world and was so much better known herself,” said Gusciora. “Wherever she went, she just brought joy. She let a lot talk about her music. “
Gusciora said the city hopes to honor Dash’s life on a grand scale in the coming weeks.
“This is a devastating loss for the city. We just want to be there to celebrate their life and legacy, ”he said.
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