US country band The Chicks, formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, have said they are “shocked and saddened” by the death of founding member Laura Lynch aged 65 following a car accident.
The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that Lynch died on Friday after being involved in a two-vehicle collision.
Lynch was one of the founding members of the group in 1989, featuring on their first three albums, before departing the group in the mid-1990s.
In a statement shared to Instagram on Saturday, The Chicks wrote: “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks.
“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 humour gave a spark to the early days of our band.
“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.
“Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time. – Emily, Martie & Natalie.”
A report by the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed Lynch was pronounced dead at the scene following the head-on collision near El Paso.
The driver of the other vehicle was taken to hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries” and there is an ongoing investigation into the crash, the report said.
After leaving the Dixie Chicks, Lynch, who lived in Fort Worth, Texas, went on to become a public relations officer with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, according to The Star-Telegram.
Lynch told The Associated Press in 2003 that she took up oil painting and spent much of her time raising her daughter.
The US band was originally founded as The Dixie Chicks by Martie Maguire, Emily Strayer, Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy.
Macy later left the group and Lynch was replaced by Natalie Maines.
Before Lynch left, the band released three albums together – their 1990 debut Thank Heavens For Dale Evans, 1992’s Little Ol’ Cowgirl and 1993’s Shouldn’t A Told You That.
The group got its commercial breakthrough in 1998 with their fourth album Wide Open Spaces, with Maines leading the vocals.
It was followed up by 1999’s Fly, 2002’s Home, 2006’s Take The Long Way – which all went to number one in the US album charts.
The band was shunned by country radio stations in 2003 after singer Maines said she did not endorse the US invasion of Iraq. They responded in 2006 with the Grammy-winning single Not Ready to Make Nice.
In 2020, the band announced they were changing their name to The Chicks. The word Dixie often refers to the southern states of the US that seceded around 1860 to form the new Confederate States of America, and where slavery was legal.
They released their comeback album, Gaslighter, in 2020 and supported Bruce Springsteen at BST Hyde Park in London in July. - PA
