NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Melanie Safka, the American singer-songwriter widely known as Melanie, passed away Tuesday (January 23). Her death was announced by her children Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred via social media. The cause of death is unknown, though her representatives mentioned the word “illness” in their statement. She was 76.
“This is the hardest post for us to write, and there are so many things we want to say, first, and there’s no easy way except to say it… Mom passed, peacefully, out of this world and into the next on January 23rd, 2024,” said her children’s statement.
Melanie rose to prominence in the late 1960s, gaining recognition for her bright yet husky voice and folk-inspired music. Notably, along with Janis Joplin and Joan Baez, she was one of only three solo women appearing at Woodstock in 1969 and had hits such as “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain).”
Born in Astoria, NY, on February 3, 1947, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and met her future manager, producer, and husband, Peter Schekeryk. Melanie’s breakthrough came with her debut album, Born to Be, in 1968, released under the Buddah label. She found initial success in Europe, with the album reaching the Top 10 in France and the Netherlands.
Her gospel-tinged single “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” became a US Top 10 hit, inspired by the sight of the Woodstock crowd lighting candles. The accompanying 1970 album Candles in the Rain brought her wider attention, reaching No. 5 in the UK.
In 1971, Melanie had a breakthrough year with the album Gather Me and its lead single “Brand New Key,” which reached No. 1 in the US, Canada, and Australia. The song’s cross-generational appeal, with its nursery rhyme melodies, made it a major hit, although it would be her last major chart-topper. She continued to release albums, totaling 28, with her most recent, Ever Since You Never Heard of Me, in 2010. She was named Billboard’s biggest-selling female artist in the US in 1971.
A message from Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred:
Dear Ones,
This is the hardest post for us to write. there are so many things we want to say first, and there’s no easy way except to say it… Mom passed peacefully, out of this world and into the next on January 23, 2024.
We are heartbroken, but want to thank each and every one of you for the affection you have for our Mother and to tell you that she loved all of you so much! She was one of the most talented, strong, and passionate women of the era, and every word she wrote and every note she sang reflected that.
Our world is much dimmer, the colors of a dreary, rainy Tennessee pale with her absence today, but we know that she is still here, smiling down on all of us, on all of you, from the stars.
We ask tonight, Wednesday January 24th, at 10 pm central time, each of you lights a candle in honor of Melanie. Raise, raise them high, high up again. Illuminate the darkness, and let us all be connected in remembrance of the extraordinary woman who was wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to so very many people.
At this time, please allow us, her family, privacy as we grieve for her, remember her, and figure out how to navigate this crazy world without her.
Thank you all for your love – you meant so very much to her.
Love and Peace,
Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred
RIP.
