Grammy-winning R&B singer and actress Brandy Norwood was involved in a major highway accident in Los Angeles last month that resulted in the death of one woman, according to California authorities.

The multi-car collision occurred on the 405 Freeway in mid-morning on Dec. 30.

Singer Brandy Norwood, shown in Los Angeles last June, wasn't injured in a four-car crash she was involved in on a California freeway last month, according to her publicist. One woman died in the incident.
(Lucas Jackson/Associated Press)

While driving her SUV, the 27-year-old performer failed to slow down and struck the back of another car at about 110 km/h, according to a report by the California Highway Patrol.

The car Norwood hit in turn crashed into the one in front if it, before striking the centre divider. It was then hit by yet another oncoming vehicle.

The accident is under investigation and no arrests have been made.

The driver of the car Norwood hit later died in hospital. The coroner's office ruled the woman's death an accident.

Norwood "wishes to publicly express her condolences to the family of the deceased," her publicist, Courtney Barnes, said in a statement issued Wednesday.

"Brandy asks that you respect the privacy of everyone involved at this time."

Barnes added that Norwood, who was not injured in the collision, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

Norwood, who starred in the U.S. TV show Moesha and served as a judge on the recent NBC reality competition America's Got Talent, won a Grammy Award in 1999 for the hitThe Boy is Mine, her duet with fellow R&B singer Monica.

Norwood emerged in the mid-1990s as a teen pop-R&B sensation. Her other hits include I Wanna Be Down, Sittin' Up in My Room, Have You Ever and Full Moon.

With files from the Associated Press