PASSION FRUIT was a Eurodance/Bubblegum Dance group consisting of three girls of Dutch, Spanish and German descent:
# Maria Serrano Serrano (November 26, 1973 — November 24, 2001)
# Nathaly(ie) van het Ende (January 2, 1975 — November 24, 2001)
# Debby (Deborah St. Marteen) (born 1973 in Delft)

On November 24, 2001, the group was on board of the Crossair Flight 3597 from Berlin to Zurich when it crashed into a wooded range of hills four kilometres (2.5 miles) short of the runway on approach towards Zurich International Airport, near the town of Bassersdorf. Maria Serrano‑Serrano and Nathaly van het Ende died along with La Bouche’s vocalist Melanie Thornton, who was also on board of the plane, while Debby St. Marteen survived with serious injuries along with eight other people.

In December 2001, Passion Fruit’s management decided to donate all the proceeds from their single “I’m Dreaming of...a Winter Wonderland” to the victims and survivors of the crash.

-Original Formation-
Established in 1999, Passion Fruit originally consisted of three female members and a male member who performed the rapping parts. It was this group that performed The Rigga Ding Dong Song, which was the group’s most successful single, reaching the top 10 in 14 countries, including number 9 in Germany and number 1 in Mexico. The original line‑up can be seen in the single’s cover sleeve and video.

The four original members were:

* Blade (Manye Thompson)
* Dawn (Viola Schubbe)
* Pearl (Carla Sinclair)
* MC Steve (Mario Tub)

Due to the exit of MC Steve in October 1999 and tensions within the group, record company X‑Cell Records decided not to continue with the project. Subsequently, the management team that created the group found a new line‑up and a new record company and kept the name Passion Fruit to leverage the success of the first single.