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We have sad news to report from the music world today:
Donna Jean Godchaux, the powerful vocalist who has performed with such iconic acts as the Grateful Dead and Elvis Presley, has died.
He was 79 years old.
News of Godchaux’s death comes courtesy of a statement from her family, who explain that she passed away at a Nashville hospice “after a long battle with cancer.”
“She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in their loss,” the statement read (via People).
“The family requests privacy at this time of grief. In the words of Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, ‘May the four winds carry her safely home.'”
Born in Alabama in 1947, Godchaux joined the Dead along with her first husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux, in 1972.
She remained with the band through the ’70s and continued performing in subsequent decades, forming the Donna Jean Godchaux Band in 2006.
Godchaux also sang backing vocals on number one hits such as Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.”
He also recorded with legendary artists such as Cher, Neil Diamond and Dionne Warwick.
“I started singing almost since I could talk,” he said. AL.com in 2016.
“I remember very clearly that when I was 6 years old I knew I was going to be a singer and I would sit on the back porch and sing at the top of my lungs every day.”
She told the outlet that singing with Elvis was “one of the most incredible moments of my life” and recalled that the King was “very kind to us, encouraging and complimentary… And he looked great. I tell you, he was the most beautiful human being I have ever seen in my life.”
“It was a lot of fun,” he said when asked about touring with the Grateful Dead. “I loved singing with those guys and we had a great time.”
However, he added that the relationship between the couple and the band soured quite quickly:
“The band knew we had to be out of the band, and Keith and I had been talking about ‘How the hell are you leaving the Grateful Dead?’” he told AL.com.
“It was sad, but it was what had to happen. It was becoming unprofitable for anyone. We had to go, and they needed us to go.”
Keith died in a car accident shortly after he and Donna formed their own band in 1980.
Our thoughts are with Donna Jean Godchaux’s loved ones during this difficult time.
