TEXAS (CelebrityAccess) – Laura Lynch, one of the founding members of the Dixie Chicks, now known as The Chicks, died Friday, December 22. Her death was confirmed via her cousin, Michael Lynch, to CBS News, who said that Lynch was killed in a car crash on Friday evening in West Texas. According to USA Today, it was a head-on collision when an oncoming car attempted to pass another on an undivided highway near El Paso, according to Sgt. Eliot Torres of the Texas Department She was 65.
Lynch, a bass player, founded the Dixie Chicks with Robin Lynn Macy and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer in 1989. Macy departed the band in 1993, and Lynch became the lead singer for two years before being replaced by Natalie Maines in 1995. The trio now consists of Maines, Maguire and Strayer.
During her time with the band, they released three indie albums with Lynch on lead vocals: Thank Heavens for Dale Evans (1990), Little Ol’ Cowgirl (1992), and Shouldn’t a Told You That (1993).
The Chicks released a statement saying Lynch was a “bright light,” writing that her “infectious energy and humor gave a spark to the band’s early days. 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,” read the statement, which Maines, Maguire and Strayer signed. In the tribute, they also included a throwback video of the original line-up performing with Lynch on bass.
In an interview in 2003 with the Plainview Herald of Texas, she declined to comment on why she left the band but confirmed she was indeed replaced but had no regrets – even if the time on the road and grinding to make it in the industry was tiring and took her energy. “It was worth it,” Lynch said. “I’d get anemic all over again to do it.”
According to TMZ, Lynch is survived by her husband, Mac Tull and their daughter.
