Laura Lynch: Co-founder of The Dixie Chicks dead at 65 in El Paso
Media outlets have been buzzing with the tragic news that one of the founding members of The Dixie Chicks, Laura Lynch, was killed on Friday night in El Paso, Texas. Lynch, who sang and played the upright bass for the original Dixie Chicks from 1990 through 1995, died in a car crash, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She was 65 at the time of her passing.
Lynch’s cousin, Michael Lynch, shared the bad news to CBS News. Details of the car crash that killed the musician were shared by the HuffPost who obtained a report from the Texas Department of Safety. That report stated that:
“a car was trying to pass another vehicle on a two-way undivided portion of a highway and crashed head-on into Lynch’s car.” Lynch was pronounced deceased at the scene, while the other driver was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In 1995, Lynch was either fired by the group or left of her own accord – depending upon which source you reference, and was replaced by Natalie Maines.
In a 2020 act of social appropriateness and responding to public concerns over the term “Dixie,” which has often been associated with slavery, The Dixie Chicks renamed their all-female country music group “The Chicks,” according to The Associated Press, who went on to report that when the group was being formed with Lynch in the late ’80s, the band was named in part after the Little Feat song “Dixie Chicken.”
Laura Lynch Biography
The Chicks issued a joint statement on their Instagram page regarding the passing of the original Dixie Chick:
We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks. We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing and traveling together. Laura was a bright light…her infectious energy and humor gave a spark to the early days of our band. Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band. Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West.
Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time.
– Emily, Martie & Natalie
Lynch can be seen playing the bass in the video below while performing “West Texas Wind,” off the band’s debut album, “Thank Heavens for Dale Evans.”
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And for more on the passing of the original Dixie Chick, see the video below.
Rest in Peace Laura Lynch.
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(Cover photo of Laura Lynch, Image credit: Twitter)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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