Laura Lynch of The Chicks dies at the age of 65 after a head-on car collision

UPDATE: 12/23, 7:00 PM ET — Current members of The Chicks, Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire And Emily Strayerissued a statement after learning of Laura Lynch’s sudden death.

“We are shocked and saddened by the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks,” they wrote via Instagram on Saturday, December 23. “We have a special place in our hearts for the times we spent playing music, laughing and traveling together. Laura was a bright light…her infectious energy and humor added a spark to the early days of our band. Laura had a talent for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the band’s early success. Her undeniable talents helped us move beyond street corners and stages throughout Texas and the Midwest. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time.”

Original story:

Founder of The Chicks Laura Lynch died on Friday, December 22, after a car accident. She was 65.

Laura’s cousin Mick Lynch confirmed to TMZ on Saturday, December 23 that she had died a day earlier outside El Paso, Texas. According to Mick, Laura was driving on the highway when her vehicle was involved in a head-on collision.

Texas law enforcement officials later told TMZ that Laura’s car was struck after the unnamed driver tried to pass in front of another car on the roadway. Laura was pronounced dead at the scene. No further details surrounding her death have been shared.

In addition to her cousin, Laura is also survived by her husband, MacTull, and their daughter, Asia.

Laura rose to fame as a founding member of The Dixie Chicks, which shortened its name in 2020, alongside Robin Lynn Macy, Martie Maguire And Emily Strayer. The foursome formed their bluegrass-country band in 1989, with Laura playing upright bass and performing as lead singer. Macy, now 62, left the band in 1992, followed by Laura three years later in 1995.

Siblings Maguire, now 54, and Strayer, now 51, replaced Laura as lead singer with Natalie Maines. (Natalie is the daughter of the original guitarist of The Chicks, Lloyd Maines.)

“We knew we were taking a big risk in changing lead singers,” Strayer said D magazine in February 1996. ‘We could lose everything. ”

As a trio, The Chicks have released six albums and won thirteen Grammy Awards.

Amid the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020, country fans called for the band to change their name due to the word “dixie”‘s associations with the Confederacy.

“We want to meet this moment,” the musicians wrote in a statement on their website at the time, noting that they were dropping “Dixie” from their name.

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Two years later, Natalie, now 49, explained their decision.

“We’ve wanted to get rid of the ‘Dixie’ part of our name for a long time, but it seemed like a huge step,” Natalie said. The Kelly Clarkson Show in August 2022. “So we called, you know, our merchandise said ‘DCX,’ and we always called ourselves ‘The Chicks.’ So it seemed like a very natural change, and it seemed kind of seamless.”

She added at the time: “I always thought [‘dixie’] was a region [that was] south of the Mason-Dixon line.”

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After Laura left The Chicks, she lived primarily in Texas with her family. According to a May 2003 interview with the Plainview Herald, Laura and her former bandmates agreed not to discuss her departure publicly.

“It was worth it, I’d be anemic again if I did it,” Laura added to the paper, noting that she has no regrets about her time on The Chicks.