"It's Raining Men" singer dies

Izora Rhodes Armstead, who sang the 1980s dance club hit and gay anthem "It's Raining Men" as one half of the Weather Girls, has died. Though she was secretive about her age, it is believed she was 62 at the time of her death. Armstead, who along with partner Martha Wash started out as backup singers for San Francisco disco star Sylvester before forming the Weather Girls, died on September 16 of heart failure at a hospital in San Leandro, about 20 miles east of San Francisco. Armstead and Wash, who met when they sang in the same gospel group, were known as Two Tons O' Fun when they sang on four Sylvester Albums, including his number 1 club hits "Dance (Disco Heat)" and "(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real." After leaving Sylvester, they made three albums as the Weather Girls before splitting up. One of the albums, Success, featured the 1983 song "It's Raining Men"--cowritten by Late Show bandleader Paul Shaffer--which was a number 1 dance club hit. (AP)