Editor’s note: The photo on this story has been updated after incorrectly identifying Laura Lynch.
Laura Lynch, one of the founding members of the Dixie Chicks, later renamed The Chicks, has died at 65.
TMZ was first to report Lynch’s cousin, Mick Lynch, as saying she had died in a car crash outside El Paso, Texas, as she traveled to Dell City, which is about 96 miles east.
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The Texas Department of Public Safety later confirmed Lynch’s death.
A car reportedly crossed over to pass a slower vehicle and then hit Lynch’s car head-on as she traveled in the opposite direction. She died at the scene.
The other driver reportedly suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital.
Lynch played upright bass and founded what was then called the Dixie Chicks in 1989 alongside Robin Lynn Macy on guitar, and sisters Martie and Emily Erwin.
Macy was the first to leave the group, and Lynch left in 1995, after recording three albums with the group. She was replaced by Natalie Maines.
Despite leaving the group right before their breakthrough hit “Wide Open Spaces” catapulted the group to fame in 1998, Lynch said in later interviews she had no regrets about her decision and went on to live a relatively private life.
The Chicks released a statement saying Lynch had helped the group find the success they later enjoyed without her.
“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 humor gave a spark to the early days of our band,” they said. “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.”
Lynch told Entertainment Tonight in a 1992 interview that she suggested calling the group the “Dixie Chickens” after the were driving around listening to Little Feat’s song by the same name.
She said the rest of the band said “Ooh, I don't know about being called chickens,” so they shortened it to “Dixie Chicks”.
In June 2020, the band changed its name to The Chicks in the wake of George Floyd’s death and racist protests across America. The term “Dixie” has often been associated with slavery.
Lynch reportedly had one daughter, Asia, and was married to Mac Wells, who won $26.8 million in a lottery during the early 1990s.
