Donna Jean Godchaux, best known for singing with the Grateful Dead in the 1970s, has died at 78 years old.
As Rolling Stone reports, Godchaux died at a hospice facility in Nashville on Sunday, November 2nd, after a “lengthy struggle with cancer,” according to a statement from her representative, Dennis McNally. “She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss. The family requests privacy at this time of grieving… In the words of Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, ‘May the four winds blow her safely home.'”
Born Donna Jean Thatcher on August 22nd, 1947, in Florence, Alabama, Godchaux was first a Muscle Shoals session singer before joining the Dead in 1971. In that capacity, she sang backup on No. 1 hits such as “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.” She also contributed to records by Duane Allman, Cher, Boz Scaggs, Neil Diamond, and more.
In 1970, she married fellow future Grateful Dead member Keith Godchaux and subsequently introduced him to lead singer Jerry Garcia the following year. While a member of the group from 1971 through 1979, Donna Jean contributed backing and lead vocals, appearing on classic albums including Europe ’72, Wake of the Flood, and Terrapin Station.
Godchaux and her husband released the collaborative album Keith & Donna in 1975, with Garcia serving as a member of their Keith and Donna Band. The couple repaid the favor by joining the Jerry Garcia Band.
The duo started their Heart of Gold Band after leaving the Dead. Following Keith’s sudden death in July 1980, she founded several other groups, including Donna Jean Godchaux Band and Donna Jean & the Tricksters.
Godchaux released her self-titled debut album in 1998. Her final LP, 2014’s Back Around, arrived from the group Donna Jean Godchaux Band and Jeff Mattson.
