Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, former Grateful Dead vocalist, dies at 78: Reports
FILE - Donna Jean Godchaux of The Grateful Dead performs during the "Move Me Brightly" 70th Birthday Tribute for Jerry Garcia at TRI Studios on August 3, 2012 in San Rafael, California. (Photo by C Flanigan/WireImage)
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, the former and only female vocalist from The Grateful Dead, has died, according to multiple reports. She was 78 years old.
Godchaux-MacKay died at a hospice on Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee, after a long battle with cancer, according to People.
She is survived by her sons, Kinsman MacKay and Zion Godchaux.
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, a leading lady
Dig deeper:
Godchaux-MacKay not only sang for The Grateful Dead but she also sang No. 1 hits for other wildly popular artists such as Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge. She also sang backup vocals for Cher and Neil Diamond.
She sang alongside her husband, Keith Godchaux, from 1972 to 1979. The couple went on to form their own band before Keith’s untimely death in 1980 after a car accident, according to USA Today.
Godchaux-MacKay remarried David MacKay, a bassist, and they had a son, Kinsman.
She was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from reporting by The Hollywood Reporter, People magazine, USA Today, Variety, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame website. This story was reported from San Jose.