(Reuters) -Laura Lynch, a founding member of the U.S. country band the “Dixie Chicks,” died in a car crash near the city of El Paso, Texas, according to the band and media reports.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch,” the band, which renamed itself “The Chicks” in 2020, wrote on social media.
“Laura was a bright light … her infectious energy and humor gave a spark to the early days of our band,” the band said in the statement.
Lynch, who co-founded the popular group in 1989 in Dallas along with musicians Robin Lynn Macy and sisters Martie and Emily Erwin, died in a head-on collision on a highway outside of El Paso on Friday, TMZ reported.
The Chicks praised her “infectious energy and humor” and said in a statement Lynch was “instrumental” to the band’s early success.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Maria CaspaniEditing by Chris Reese)
