In the same year LaShun Pace died, a song she recorded in 1996 went viral on TikTok. Millions of teenagers stumbled upon her voice and were stopped cold. That’s the kind of artist she was — someone whose power didn’t need the internet to survive, but somehow found a way to outlast it anyway.
LaShun Pace’s estimated net worth at the time of her passing in March 2022 was approximately $2.5 million. In 2026, her estate continues earning through streaming royalties, music licensing, and digital downloads. The number alone doesn’t tell you much. What matters is how she built it — not through pop crossovers or celebrity deals, but through four decades of pure ministry work.
This article goes deeper than every other piece you’ll find on her. We cover her vocal technique, her 36-year relationship with The Edwin Hawkins Singers, the real story behind “Act Like You Know”, what she wrote in her autobiography, and the daughter who carries her legacy today. Pull up a chair.
LaShun Pace — Quick Profile Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Tarrian LaShun Pace |
| Also Known As | LaShun Pace-Rhodes, Shun Pace-Rhodes |
| Date of Birth | September 6, 1961 |
| Place of Birth | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Date of Death | March 21, 2022 |
| Age at Death | 60 Years |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Christianity (Church of God in Christ — COGIC) |
| Profession | Gospel Singer, Songwriter, Evangelist, Actress |
| Years Active | 1976 – 2022 |
| Record Labels | Savoy Records, EMI, Malaco Records |
| Net Worth (2026 Estimate) | $2.5 Million |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
LaShun Pace Net Worth in 2026: What the Estimate Actually Means
LaShun Pace’s net worth in 2026 is estimated at $2.5 million. This figure represents her posthumous estate value — the money still flowing in through streaming platforms, royalty income, and gospel music licensing deals. It’s an informed estimate, not a legal valuation. No official financial document was ever made public, which is typical for gospel artists who built their careers inside faith communities rather than entertainment corporations.
The honest range — supported by her career length, album sales, and live performance earnings — sits firmly between $2 million and $2.5 million. That’s not a small number for a woman who never chased mainstream fame.
Why Gospel Artists Earn Differently Than Mainstream Stars
Pop stars build wealth through streaming numbers, brand deals, and merchandise. Gospel singers like LaShun built theirs through what you might call ministry economics — a completely different financial model that most people don’t understand.
Here’s how it actually works:
- Church honorariums: A headlining gospel vocalist at a large church convention can earn $8,000 to $25,000 per weekend — and LaShun did this for over 30 years.
- Revival circuit fees: National revival weekends, women’s conferences, and faith retreats paid consistently throughout her career.
- Gospel conventions: COGIC alone hosts national gatherings drawing tens of thousands — these were reliable booking channels.
- Independent CD sales: Gospel audiences bought physical albums at events long after streaming replaced CDs elsewhere.
None of these payments are ever publicly reported. That’s why calculating her net worth is genuinely difficult — and why websites that confidently state exact figures are almost certainly guessing.
Income Sources Breakdown
| Income Source | Estimated Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel album sales | High | Multiple Billboard Top 10 albums across 3 decades |
| Live church tours & revivals | Highest | $8K–$25K per weekend event, 30+ year run |
| Streaming royalties (ongoing) | Growing | TikTok viral moment in 2022 boosted catalog streams |
| Acting — Leap of Faith (1992) | Moderate | Boosted national visibility and future booking rates |
| Autobiography (2003) | Modest | For My Good But For His Glory — faith community sales |
| Speaking engagements | Moderate | Ministry conferences, women’s events, faith retreats |
| Television appearances | Moderate | Gospel TV programs, religious broadcasting networks |
| Awards & recognitions | Indirect | Increased booking demand and per-performance rates |
Early Life in Atlanta: Where Faith Became Her Foundation
LaShun Pace was born on September 6, 1961, in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the fifth of ten children raised by Bishop Murphy J. Pace and Bettie Ann Pace in a small, tight-knit community called Poole Creek. The house was strict. No secular music. Limited television. And yet — somehow — that environment produced one of the most electrifying voices American gospel has ever heard.
She attended Walter F. George High School (now South Atlanta High School) and graduated in 1979. There was no formal music conservatory in her story. Her training happened in church pews, choir lofts, and revival tents. Some of the best vocalists in gospel history never set foot in a music school — and LaShun was very much one of them.
How COGIC’s 6-Million-Member Network Shaped Her Entire Career
Nobody talks about this, and it’s one of the most important parts of her story. The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States, with over 6 million members spread across thousands of local churches. For a gospel artist raised inside that network, COGIC wasn’t just a church — it was a ready-made national booking infrastructure.
Every COGIC church anniversary, every women’s conference, every National Convocation was a potential performance opportunity. LaShun had credibility inside that world from childhood. She didn’t need a publicist to get booked — she needed a testimony. And she had one every time she opened her mouth.
The Anointed Pace Sisters: Family Harmony That Built a Movement
Before LaShun became a solo name, she was part of something bigger. The Anointed Pace Sisters — formed with her sisters Duranice, Phyllis, June, Melonda, Dejuaii, Leslie, Latrice, and Lydia — was gospel music’s answer to a family dynasty. Their sound was raw, deeply rooted in the Atlanta Black Church tradition, and entirely unapologetic about its faith.
Their 1992 group album U-Know climbed to No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart and stayed there for over a year. They earned Grammy nominations and multiple Stellar Awards. Not bad for a group that started in a church on the south side of Atlanta.
LaShun’s voice stood out even within that talented group. She sang like she was preaching. There’s a difference — and gospel audiences feel it immediately.
Solo Career: From “He Lives” to Gospel Royalty
The solo chapter started with a moment of pure luck — or faith, depending on who you ask. In 1988, LaShun recorded In the House of the Lord with Dr. Jonathan Greer and the Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ Choir for Savoy Records. Savoy’s executives heard something special. They signed her as a solo artist on the spot.
Her debut solo album, He Lives (1990), reached No. 2 on the Billboard Gospel Charts. The lead single, “I Know I’ve Been Changed”, became her signature song — the track that churches still play today, decades later. Tyler Perry later named one of his early stage plays after it. That’s not a coincidence. That’s cultural impact.
Her full solo discography tells the story of a career built on consistency:
- He Lives (1990) — No. 2 Billboard Gospel; “I Know I’ve Been Changed”
- Shekinah Glory (1993)
- Wealthy Place (1996) — Featured “Act Like You Know” with Karen Clark Sheard
- Just Because God Said It (1998)
- God Is Faithful (2001)
- It’s My Time (2005)
- Complete (2007)
- Reborn (2011)
- Joy (2019 single) — one of her final recordings
Her Soprano Voice — What Made It Technically Extraordinary
Every article about LaShun Pace calls her voice “powerful.” That word does absolutely nothing to describe what she actually did. She was a dramatic soprano with an unusually wide dynamic range — capable of dropping into a deep, thundering chest tone and then climbing into a clear, ringing high note within the same phrase. No break. No breathiness. Just control.
What set her apart in gospel music specifically was her preaching-within-singing delivery. She didn’t just perform lyrics — she narrated them, interrogated them, and sometimes seemed to argue with them mid-song. Audiences felt witnessed. That’s a rare gift.
The technical foundation came from her COGIC upbringing, where that style of emotional, spirit-led singing was the norm. She refined it over decades of live ministry performances — not practice rooms, but real stages with real congregations expecting real moments.
36 Years with The Edwin Hawkins Singers (1986–2022)
This is the detail that almost every article on LaShun Pace ignores, and it might be the most important professional relationship of her life. She joined The Edwin Hawkins Singers in 1986 — the same year she was still building her name — and stayed connected to that group until her death in 2022. Thirty-six years. That’s not a collaboration. That’s a calling.
Edwin Hawkins was the man who wrote “Oh Happy Day” — arguably the most famous gospel song of the 20th century. Being part of his circle gave LaShun access to top-tier gospel convention bookings, national television appearances, and a level of industry credibility that solo album sales alone couldn’t have built. The relationship quietly shaped her career in ways the public rarely saw.
“Act Like You Know” — The Song That Refused to Stay in 1996
Some songs find their audience right away. Others wait. “Act Like You Know” waited 26 years.
LaShun recorded it for her 1996 album Wealthy Place, featuring Karen Clark Sheard of The Clark Sisters. The song is a bold, declarative prayer — the kind of track that sounds like someone standing their ground with God. It did well in gospel circles at the time. Then it disappeared from the mainstream radar for nearly three decades.
In 2022 — the same year LaShun died — a sped-up version of “Act Like You Know” went massively viral on TikTok. Young people used it in glow-up videos, transformation reels, and motivational clips. Millions who had never heard her name were now searching for her albums, watching old interviews, and streaming her entire catalog.
Her estate’s royalty income received a noticeable jolt. Gospel playlist placements, YouTube algorithmic recommendations, and renewed music licensing opportunities all followed that wave. In death, LaShun’s catalog found a second life that no marketing budget could have planned.
Leap of Faith (1992): How a Gospel Singer Made It to Hollywood
LaShun Pace played the Angel of Mercy in the 1992 Hollywood film Leap of Faith, starring Steve Martin. That sentence sounds simple. It was anything but.
Getting cast in a major studio film as a gospel singer — without a Hollywood agent, without a mainstream pop track on the radio — was genuinely unusual. The film, which follows a traveling faith healer whose miracles turn real, needed someone whose voice could make audiences believe. LaShun delivered that, and then some.
The role expanded her name beyond the gospel circuit. Suddenly she was being talked about in entertainment media, not just Christian music publications. Her booking rates for live performances climbed. National visibility in secular spaces has a measurable effect on gospel tour demand — and this appearance delivered that.
It also proved something she likely already knew: her gift was never limited to a church stage. The world was just slow to figure that out.
Awards & Recognition: A Career Measured in Honors, Not Headlines
LaShun Pace won awards throughout her career, but she wasn’t the type to build her identity around them. The honors came because the work was undeniable — not because she campaigned for them.
- Multiple Stellar Awards — gospel music’s highest honors, won across several categories over the years
- Soul Train Lady of Soul Award — one of the few gospel artists to receive mainstream recognition from this platform
- BMI Trailblazer Award — honoring songwriters and performers who shaped American music
- Christian Music Hall of Fame induction (2007) — she was too ill to attend the ceremony
- 16th Trailblazers of Gospel Music Award (Atlanta, 2015)
- Thomas A. Dorsey Lifetime Achievement Award (2025, posthumous) — presented by the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses
That final award — the 2025 Dorsey Award — is the one almost nobody is writing about. Thomas A. Dorsey is considered the father of gospel music. Being honored in his name, three years after your death, means the community decided your contribution was too important to leave unacknowledged. That’s a profound thing.
Family, Faith, and Personal Life: The Woman Behind the Voice
LaShun married Edward Rhodes in 1988. He was a Georgia-based minister who later interned at Savoy Records in New York. They divorced in 1993 following allegations of infidelity on his part. LaShun raised her children largely alone after that, leaning on her sisters and her faith to hold things together.
In 2001, she lost her eldest daughter Xenia Rhodes — just 11 years old — to a sudden heart attack caused by an enlarged heart. Xenia had reportedly been struggling with bullying at school. The grief LaShun carried after that loss was visible in her singing. People who saw her perform in the years after noticed something deeper in her voice — a weight that hadn’t been there before. Pain does that, sometimes.
In 2020, she lost her mother, Bettie Ann Pace, at the age of 82. Then in January 2021, her oldest sister Duranice Pace passed away. Fourteen months later, LaShun herself was gone. Three generations of a family, lost in two years. The Pace family — so defined by its music and its women — absorbed a level of grief that’s hard to comprehend from the outside.
Aarion Pace Rhodes: Carrying Her Mother’s Legacy Forward in 2026
LaShun’s surviving daughter, Aarion Pace Rhodes, was born in 1993. She grew up watching her mother minister through song, through illness, through grief, and through everything else life threw at her. Aarion is also a singer. That’s not surprising. In the Pace family, music isn’t a career choice — it’s just what you do.
Aarion continues to represent the Pace musical legacy in gospel circles. She carries a name that still opens doors in COGIC communities across the country. And she carries the memory of a mother who sang through dialysis, through the deaths of people she loved, and through everything the body threw at her in those final years.
Years of Illness: Singing Through Dialysis, Diabetes, and Grief
LaShun Pace battled serious health problems for the last decade of her life. She was diagnosed with diabetes, fought cancer, and survived a near-fatal esophageal rupture. For her final five years, she was on dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant that never came.
Any of those illnesses alone would have forced most people off the stage. LaShun kept going back. She performed when she should have been resting. She ministered when her body was failing her. That’s not a heroic narrative the way the media usually tells it — it’s also just what gospel ministry looked like for her. Stopping wasn’t really an option she seemed to consider.
She died on March 21, 2022, from organ failure. She was 60 years old.
“For My Good But For His Glory”: The Autobiography That Told Her Truth
In 2003, LaShun published her autobiography, For My Good But For His Glory. Every other article about her mentions the title. None of them actually tell you what’s in it.
The book is a genuine document of a difficult life. She wrote about her divorce from Edward Rhodes and the painful circumstances around it. She wrote about the death of Xenia — openly, honestly, without the kind of sanitized grief that most celebrity memoirs offer. She wrote about the depression that followed, and about how her faith — sometimes shakily, sometimes stubbornly — pulled her through.
The book sold primarily through gospel community channels — churches, conventions, ministry events — rather than through major retail chains. That’s typical for faith-based memoirs of this kind. It contributed to her income, though not dramatically. Its real value was in deepening the loyalty of an audience that already loved her.
LaShun Pace vs Other Gospel Legends: Net Worth Comparison
Comparing gospel artist net worth to pop or R&B artists is a bit like comparing a family doctor’s income to a hospital CEO’s. Different models. Different choices. Neither one wrong.
| Gospel Artist | Estimated Net Worth (2026) | Key Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Kirk Franklin | $8 million – $10 million | Mainstream crossover success, major label backing |
| Yolanda Adams | $5 million – $7 million | Pop-gospel crossover, endorsements |
| Donnie McClurkin | $5 million – $8 million | Broader commercial radio exposure |
| LaShun Pace | $2 million – $2.5 million | Ministry-centered model, faith community loyal base |
Kirk Franklin earns more because he deliberately pursued mainstream crossover success — radio play, major label backing, collaborations with secular artists. That strategy works, and it pays. LaShun never went that route. She stayed ministry-centered, which meant smaller commercial reach but deeper community loyalty.
Honestly? Given everything she dealt with health-wise in her final decade, $2.5 million is a quietly remarkable achievement. She built that on gospel touring, album royalties, and a community that showed up for her for 40 straight years.
Lifestyle and Assets: Faith First, Luxury Never
LaShun Pace didn’t live like a celebrity. She lived like someone who genuinely believed what she sang. Her home was in Atlanta, Georgia — the city where she was born, the city she never really left. No Beverly Hills. No luxury penthouse. No exotic car collection.
She loved Southern soul food, played Scrabble during difficult periods (she credited the game with helping her cope after her divorce), and kept her personal life remarkably private for someone with her level of recognition.
Her primary asset was her music catalog — the recordings that continue earning money today. Her strongest investment was her reputation, which kept her booked for decades without requiring much self-promotion. In the gospel music world, word of mouth and ministry credibility are the most valuable currencies there are.
Her Legacy in 2026: What $2.5 Million Cannot Measure
Four years after her death, LaShun Pace’s music is still finding new ears. Streaming numbers for her catalog have grown steadily since the TikTok viral moment of 2022. Gospel playlist curators regularly include her work. Churches still teach “It Already Is” to their choirs.
The 2025 Thomas A. Dorsey Lifetime Achievement Award confirmed something the gospel community already knew: her contribution wasn’t incidental. She shaped the sound of American gospel music in ways that outlasted her. That’s a rare thing, even among very good artists.
Her daughter Aarion sings. Her music streams. Her autobiography sits on shelves in faith communities. And somewhere right now, a teenager who found her through TikTok is listening to He Lives for the first time, not knowing they’re hearing something recorded 35 years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was LaShun Pace’s net worth?
LaShun Pace’s estimated net worth was approximately $2.5 million. This reflects lifetime earnings from gospel album sales, live church tours, acting, speaking engagements, and streaming royalties that continue generating income through her estate in 2026.
When did LaShun Pace die?
LaShun Pace passed away on March 21, 2022, at the age of 60. The cause of death was organ failure after spending five years on dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant.
What is LaShun Pace’s most famous song?
Her most iconic song is “I Know I’ve Been Changed” from her 1990 debut album He Lives. However, “Act Like You Know” (1996) became her most viral track when it exploded on TikTok in 2022, introducing her to an entirely new generation.
Was LaShun Pace part of a gospel group?
Yes. She was a core member of The Anointed Pace Sisters, a family gospel group formed with eight of her sisters. Their 1992 album U-Know reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart and earned them both Grammy nominations and Stellar Awards.
Did LaShun Pace act in any movies?
Yes. She played the Angel of Mercy in the 1992 Hollywood film Leap of Faith, starring Steve Martin. The role significantly expanded her national visibility beyond the gospel music circuit.
What caused LaShun Pace’s death?
She died of organ failure on March 21, 2022. In her final years, she battled diabetes, cancer, and spent five years on dialysis waiting for a kidney transplant that never arrived.
Does LaShun Pace have children?
She had two daughters. Her eldest, Xenia Rhodes, passed away in 2001 at age 11 from a sudden heart attack caused by an enlarged heart. Her surviving daughter, Aarion Pace Rhodes (born 1993), is also a gospel singer and continues the Pace family musical legacy.
What were LaShun Pace’s main awards?
She received multiple Stellar Awards, the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award, the BMI Trailblazer Award, induction into the Christian Music Hall of Fame (2007), and the posthumous Thomas A. Dorsey Lifetime Achievement Award (2025) from the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses.
A Voice That Time Keeps Returning To
The number is $2.5 million. Write it down, then set it aside. Because if that figure is the main thing you take from LaShun Pace’s story, you’ve missed almost everything that matters.
She came from a strict household in Poole Creek, Atlanta, where secular music wasn’t allowed, and built a career that reached Hollywood. She buried a daughter, an ex-marriage, a mother, and a sister — and kept singing through all of it. She spent five years hooked to a dialysis machine, and her response was to get back on stage.
Her gospel music catalog keeps growing in value. Her songs keep appearing in worship services, streaming playlists, and TikTok feeds. Her daughter sings. Her legacy breathes.
Rizwan Sultan is a content writer with 4 years of experience covering USA celebrities’ net worth and biographies. He specializes in clear, research-driven profiles and currently contributes engaging, accurate content to CelebInfoHub, helping readers understand the stories behind fame and financial success.