Laura Lynch, founding member of the Chicks, dies in car accident
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The musician's car was reportedly hit in a head-on collision on a West Texas highway.
Laura Lynch, a founding member and the original bassist of the beloved country band the Chicks, died in a car accident in West Texas on Friday, CBS News reports.
The group's current members — Emily Strayer, Martie Maguire, and Natalie Maines — confirmed the musician’s death in a social media statement on Saturday.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of the Chicks,” it read. “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.”
Courtesy Everett Collection
Laura Lynch, center, performs with the Chicks in 1993“Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas, and was instrumental in the early success of the band," the statement continued. "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.”
According to local NBC News station KTSM, which cited the Texas Department of Safety, the accident occurred when the driver of a pickup truck traveling on U.S. Highway 62 attempted to overtake another vehicle on a two-way undivided portion of the highway. The truck then collided head-on with Lynch’s vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other driver, whose vehicle caught on fire following the collision, was reportedly taken to an El Paso hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, per the outlet.
The Texas Department of Safety did not immediately respond to EW's request for more information.
Lynch co-founded the Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, in 1989 with Robin Lynn Macy, Maguire, and Strayer. She played bass and provided lead vocals on the group's first three records — 1990’s Thank Heavens for Dale Evans, 1992’s Little Ol’ Cowgirl, and 1993’s Shouldn’t a Told You That — before leaving the band. She was replaced by its current lead vocalist, Maines. The Chicks would go on to reach critical acclaim with the release of their 1998 album, Wide Open Spaces, which won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album the following year.
After departing the group, Lynch moved to Mineral Wells, Texas, to raise her daughter Asia according to a 2003 interview with the Plainview Herald of Texas. At the time, she said she'd enjoyed being a member of the Chicks but had no regrets about missing out on the band’s future success and multiple Grammy wins.
“It was worth it,” Lynch said of being in the group. “I’d get anemic all over again to do it.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for more updates.
Related content:
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
