LOS ANGELES — Jennifer Finch, the bassist, singer and songwriter best known as a founding member of the rock band L7, died Saturday after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was 59.
L7 announced Finch’s death in a statement posted on Instagram.
“With a very heavy heart we announce that our beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker Jennifer Finch has passed away today,” the band said. “She had a long courageous fight with brain cancer and was loved by many wonderful friends, musical peers and fans worldwide.”
According to Variety, Finch died after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Born on Aug. 5, 1966, in Los Angeles, Finch was adopted as an infant by aeronautics engineer Robert Edward Finch and Sandra Jacobson. She developed an interest in punk music at a young age and later joined the Southern California punk scene after taking guitar lessons.
In the mid-1980s, Finch performed with the band Sugar Baby Doll before joining the all-female rock band L7 as bassist in 1986.
During her decade with L7, the band signed with Epitaph Records and later Sub Pop. It toured internationally with acts including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Beastie Boys, performed at major music festivals, and helped launch the Rock for Choice concert series with the Feminist Majority.
After leaving L7 in 1996, Finch formed Other Star People, later fronted The Shocker, founded Little Pusher Records, and produced a Ramones tribute album that benefited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Finch also documented the 1995 Warped Tour in a diary that later became part of an exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She adopted the middle name “Precious” after her father’s death in 1995 in honor of the nickname he gave her, according to her official website.
