Linda Maxine Laurie[1] was an American singer and songwriter, best known for the novelty record "Ambrose (Part 5)", which went to #52 on the Billboard chart in 1959 while she was in high school.
The song's notoriety was enough to get young Linda on the February 10, 1959, edition of To Tell the Truth; only two of the four panelists correctly identified her.
However, her biggest hit as a songwriter came with "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)," which went to #3 for Helen Reddy in late 1973.
Her music was rediscovered in the 1990s through various hip-hop songs; "I Did It for Love" has been sampled in such hits as Puff Daddy's "It's All About the Benjamins" (later parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "It's All About the Pentiums"), Mariah Carey's "Miss You," Shyne's "The Gang," Swizz Beats' "Money in the Bank," and more.
"[5] Linda Laurie died of cancer at a hospital in Santa Barbara, California on November 20, 2009, at the age of 68.