What to Know About Country Singer Kylie Rae Harris, Who Died at 30 in Multi-Car Crash
Kylie Rae Harris, who was killed in a three-car crash in New Mexico on Wednesday, was a mother of one and rising country music singer.
The 30-year-old died in a three-vehicle crash in northern New Mexico, according to multiple reports. The Taos County Sheriff’s Office told the Associated Press that two drivers — a 30-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl — were killed and that the third driver escaped injury on State Road 522. Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in the crash.
Harris’ publicist confirmed her death in a statement to Billboard: “We are heartbroken to confirm that Kylie Rae Harris passed away in a car accident last night. We have no further details to share, and ask for privacy for her family at this time. Everyone that knew Kylie knew how much she loved her family and, beyond that, how much she loved music. The best tribute to her unmatched enthusiasm for both is to spread as much love as you can today, and listen to music that fully inspires you.”
As Harris is remembered by family and friends, here is what to know about the late musician.
RELATED: Rising Country Singer Kylie Rae Harris, 30, Dies in a Three-Vehicle Crash in New Mexico
Loving Mom
Harris is survived by her 6-year-old daughter Corbie, whom she often shared photos and videos of on social media, and named a clothing line after. The singer’s final song was “Twenty Years from Now,” which is a dedication to her child and was featured on her EP that was released in March.
“Twenty years from now/ My prayer is that somehow/ You’ll forgive all my mistakes and be proud of the choice I made/ God I hope I’m still around,” she sang.
“Getting to the age your parents were when you were a child brings a whole lot of perspective,” she said in a news release about the song, according to The Tennessean. “Parents are people. People make mistakes and being a parent is hard. I’m not always going to make the right choices, but I hope that when my daughter gets older, she’ll see that they were all made with love and the best of intentions.”
Harris shared the song’s message on Instagram in May, writing: “The little girl I wrote ‘Twenty Years from Now’ about finishes Kindergarten tomorrow. Today she was awarded ‘The Canary Award’ for always singing or humming. I’m proud of both of us. We’re a good team, and we’s good people trying (most of the time) to be the very best reflection of our inner-selves. The ones God intended us to be.”
The song was written after Harris’ father died of cancer at age 54. At the time, Corbie was 2½ years old. “It scared me thinking that it was totally possible I could be gone before my daughter reaches that point,” Harris told Billboard in March. “I want to meet my kid’s kids.”
Shortly after news of Harris’ death, a GoFundMe page was created to help with funeral costs and for Corbie’s college fund.
Rising Country Star
Harris was originally from Wylie, Texas, and wrote her first song at age 14, according to Saving Country Music, which reported that one of her earliest press releases stated: “Music has always been in me. I have to do it. This is all or nothing for me. I’m going to be writing and singing music the rest of my life whether I’m broke or not so I might as well go for it.”
In 2013, Harris released her first EP Taking It Back and a year later, she won 2014 female vocalist of the year from the Texas Regional Radio Music Awards.
Harris, who released two albums and her most recent self-titled EP in March, was in northern New Mexico to play the Big Barn Dance in Taos on Sept. 5.
The mother of one also said she had family in New Mexico, specifically Taos, in the last videos she posted shortly before her death. “I spent the last 20 years of my life coming to Taos with my dad, my sisters, my grandparents lived here, my uncle still lives here,” she said. “Literally, everybody that was here has passed away, except for my uncle, including my dad.”
Texas Roots
Harris grew up in Wylie, Texas, a little more than an hour away from Maren Morris‘ Arlington, Texas, hometown. The two started their music careers around the same time, and the Grammy winner referenced their shared upbringing in the dedication she shared shortly after news of Harris’ death.
“Damn. I just heard the news and I’m in shock,” the country star wrote along with a photo of Harris. “@kylierh, you have always been so sweet and supportive of me. Your soulful voice and Texas beauty was always jaw-dropping, even when we were teenagers at the Larry Joe Taylor festival. Thinking of your family and your precious baby girl right now. Rest In Peace.”
Harris’ hometown is also in proximity to Kacey Musgraves‘ Golden hometown and Miranda Lambert‘s Lindale hometown, each about an hour and a half away from Wylie.
