Founding Dixie Chicks member Laura Lynch dead aged 65
Laura Lynch of Dixie Chicks fame has died
Laura Lynch, a founding member of Dixie Chicks – now known as The Chicks – has died aged 65, following a car accident.
The musician’s cousin, Mick Lynch, confirmed to TMZ that Lynch died on Friday (December 22) outside of El Paso, Texas.
Just after sunset, she was driving to Dell City when she was involved in a fatal crash on the highway.
No other details were provided.
Lynch co-founded the famous music group along with Robin Lynn Macy, Martie Erwin, and Emily Erwin back in 1989.
She performed as the bassist before taking on the role of lead vocalist.
As for Dixie Chicks, the group went on to achieve success with their albums Wide Open Spaces (1998) and Fly (1999) after Lynch left.
They have won 13 Grammy awards, including five in 2007 for Taking the Long Way which earned album of the year, and sold over 33million albums.
As of 2020, The Chicks had become the best-selling all-woman band and best-selling country group in the US from 1991 onwards.
However, the famous band has also had its fair share of controversies.
Days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, while on stage in London, the band said they were ashamed of then-President George W. Bush and said that they did not endorse the war.
Longtime fans proceeded to boycott their music as their remarks sparked backlash.
Following a hiatus, they returned with new music informed by the criticism, which included the single Not Ready to Make Nice – their biggest crossover hit which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
After another hiatus, Maguire and Strayer released an album in 2009 as the Court Yard Hounds, before Dixie Chicks reunited to tour in the 2010s.
In 2020, ahead of releasing their first album together in 14 years, Gaslighter, their name was changed to simply The Chicks.
This was due to the original’s negative connotations and racist southern undertones.
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