L7 bassist Jennifer Finch dies at 59

musicJul 19, 20261176,795

Jennifer Finch, bassist, vocalist, and songwriter for L7, has died at age 59. Finch joined the Los Angeles rock band in 1986 and played on all five of L7’s original studio albums, including 1990’s Smell the Magic and 1992’s Bricks Are Heavy. L7’s social media posted, “We are devastated to announce the death of our partner, sister, daughter, and friend Jennifer Precious Finch,” and asked for space to heal privately. Finch revealed earlier this week that she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and sat out L7’s fall farewell tour. A GoFundMe launched by friends and family quickly surpassed its goal, raising nearly $400,000. Born August 5, 1966, Finch was raised by adoptive parents in West Los Angeles and chose the middle name Precious as a teenager. Before joining L7 she played in Sugar Babydoll with Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland, and later performed with OtherStarPeople and the Shocker; she also worked extensively as a music photographer and plans were underway to preserve an extensive archive of her work.

Stereogum

@stereogum.com

R.I.P. Jennifer Finch. L7's bassist has died at age 59. stereogum.com/2505697/jenn...

204945d ago

derek32

This really sucks. L7 was one of the defining bands of my teenaged years. She was awesome. Fuck cancer.

dnoven.bsky.social13

That's sad L7 was fearless.

Vegas Beeatch8

Oh that’s sad. RIP beautiful.

Texmexorcist7

Dammit. Ah man. Great band. Thanks for all the music, Jennifer!

Bright Bart7

Smell the Magic has some of her best work.

Sir_LANs-a-lot5

The wrong people keep dying.

Quoting this

Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan109

RIP Jen. Fuck cancer, and fuck the American health system. L7 were an incredibly brave band and 1,000 times more punk than most punk bands.

ZorrolittoTheElder / Melissa4

Eternal music to you, Sister. 🕊️

GeorgeWeeks20143

I discovered L7 only recently but goodness me they're one hell of a good band. And now their bassist has died 😢

suGar Yoshinaga3

L7… Sad to see one of us -the ’90s alternative rockers- gone. 59 is too young. RIP Jennifer Finch.

Rolling Stone

@rollingstone.com

L7 bassist Jennifer Finch has died at 59 following a battle with brain cancer. www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

119145d ago

John Julitz75

Well that news makes my shitlist.

starspringsf38

One of the awful things about brain cancer is anything can happen at anytime. Even when everything is going as best it can, it's brutal. My late husband was given 6 weeks, but tried everything, and survived about 10 months post diagnosis at stage 4. I hope Jennifer is at peace.

nobodyshandmaid.bsky.social30

I grew up in a small town in southwest Georgia. L7 made me feel like there was another world where I could be me. I moved to Chicago for college…listening to Pretend We’re Dead the whole way…this is so sad, but also how great is it that she had such an impact on so many people. Thank you, Jennifer.

Crisp28

As a dumb idiot metalhead growing up in the 90’s didn’t ever give them the time of day. But as a 50 year old going to go back and se what I was missing. Stats come to life as you age. Wish her loved ones peace and love.

I'm off the record26

L7 got me through some things. Rest in peace, Jennifer.

Vegas Beeatch9

Love to her family friends and bandmates. #fuckcancer

Quoting this

Jay9

RIP. She was an icon. L7 still rips.

Marcus Pessoa9

Eu tinha um CD do L7 nos anos 90, era uma banda muito bacana, as músicas faziam sucesso nos meus sets de DJ. Vieram pro antigo Hollywood Rock no auge, na mesma edição que teve Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers e Alice in Chains. RIP 😥

suave coisa nenhuma™️7

porra, não tinha visto, RIPAÇO ☹️

Shayne Mathis7

Man this sucks. At least she got to see fans and the musicians she influenced and worked with express so much love and admiration before she passed. RIP

Kris Moyse5

Awful news. Rest in Peace, Jen. Will be listening to your music forever 🖤

Derrell Durrett3

Pretend We're Dead got into my brain when I first heard it, because it's intense rock and roll. I didn't know what it was about until decades later, and now I'm sad that was the case, because that shit is fierce. Peace be upon her.

Derrell Durrett3

R.I P., dear. That shit was fierce.

Campamento Krypton3

Una noticia terrible, descanse en paz.

Dɪᴢᴡɪʀᴇ🌀3

Saw these ladies rock out at Lollapalooza ‘94. Good times. Rest in peace, Ms Finch.

Meredith 🇨🇦 🇺🇦2

Ugh ugh ugh. Fuck cancer.

Dr. Damien P. Williams has to go the way his blood beats

@wolven.blacksky.app

I had a feeling, but man this sucks. Fuck cancer. The only good of any of this is she had some fraction of an idea of how much she meant to people. Goodnight Jennifer Finch, and thanks for helping kickoff a revolution.

60245d ago

Rob Sheridan

@rob-sheridan.com

Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Jennifer Finch from L7. I just saw Jennifer last year, rocking as hard as ever… Fuck cancer, man.

Jennifer Finch from my 2019 video for L7’s “Stadium West”

38745d ago

Bob Clouse6

L7 never got the respect they were due.

Kangaroo Watcher2

Cancer has always been on my shit list.

Radical left wing scum1

Cancer is a bitch. My mom got it but she cut it early and they cut it out. My grandma caught it and she was dead 10 days after she was diagnosed. They're making great progress though

TRANNY ▶ FOR YOU ◀1

Fuck cancer right in its stupid nucleotides. RIP Jennifer.

Quoting this

Claire Jones4

This is such sad news. For girls growing up in the 90s, we suddenly had a huge slew of amazing female role models being badass and brilliant. I fucking loved L7.

Sean Walters

@seanwrite.bsky.social

Sorry to hear Jennifer Finch, bassist for Los Angeles alternative rock group L7, has died at 59. L7 performing live on British show The Word in 1992. #RIPJenniferFinch m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMyk...

29945d ago

Pontius Pilates3

So sad. I love L7.

How You Like Me Now?...2

youtube.com/watch?v=7XTE... L7 ~ Gas Chamber ~ Serial Mom...

Quoting this

Photography by Alfie Goodrich16

Sad news. Remember this set. The Word was a fave show back then.

J.D. Kunes

@jdkunes.bsky.social

Godspeed and farewell to Jennifer Finch of L7. A true punk rock force and legend on bass. Thank you for the riffs and the attitude. #RIPJenniferFinch

23145d ago

Quoting this

Walter Chaw376

I saw L7 play the 1995 Smashing Pumpkins/Beastie Boys headlining Lollapalooza. When I saw them at Bumbershoot in Seattle in 1997, though, Finch had left the band. I was so happy to see her again w/her band The Shocker as part of the Warped Tour in the early 2000s. What a terrible loss. Fuck cancer.

nougatbolle

@nougatbolle.bsky.social

RIP Jennifer Finch, bass player of punk rock band L7 youtu.be/sP9l9HBJ1o0?...

17145d ago

Quoting this

Dorian Lynskey54

RIP. I thought she was up there with Kim Deal as an iconic bassist. Listen to Bricks Are Heavy

Alan Cerny12

L7 fucking rules. “Pretend We’re Dead” was intended to be a breakthrough song but it didn’t hit but that album was amazing. RIP to a great one.

John Maddening6

I saw them a surprising number of times in the 90s. #FuckCancer

Tim Byrne4

Oh, hell no. L7 exposed 15-year-old me (late to the party, I know) to the degree to which women could absolutely rock.

Don't Say "Enola Gay!"🌈✈3

Fuck cancer. I had the incredible fortune to see L7 at Rockville with my teenage daughter on Mother's Day weekend a couple of years ago (she gave me the band shirt as my gift, all time fave): they played 'Wargasm' and introduced it as "A song that never goes out of style, unfortunately." RIP.🕯

Annie Zaleski

@anniezaleski.bsky.social

Word coming through that Jennifer Finch has died. :( Just a devastating loss. www.instagram.com/p/Da9Pt2FBQ4...

12145d ago

Scott Drebit4

Oh my god that was so fast. May she be in peace.

Rabbit2

Beruch Dayan ha emet. May her memory be a blessing.

All The Homies Hate Argentina1

How sad. That seems so fast.

Nit.1

So so so so SO fucking unfair 😭😭😭

Quoting this

Andrew Barker81

What awful news. L7 is a band that deserves to be 1000x better known than they are. Finch was one of rock’s most effortless badasses. Here she is breaking a bass string mid song in front of a giant festival crowd, and immediately segueing into a tumbling routine. youtu.be/HpWOSptriZ4?...

BIANA31

que tristeza eu ainda queria realizar o sonho de ver o L7 😢

⚾️ Patrick 🖤22

oh no. rest easy Jennifer. fuck cancer youtu.be/MKwnbu_2tew?...

Bruna Soares21

Meu mais forte abraço a todas as minas que cresceram com essa diva representando a gente demais nos palcos. Descanse em paz, você é muito foda e a gente nunca vai te esquecer.

TK’s Home Furniture5

First time I felt comfortable as a tween punk at a concert was an L7 show. RIP.

Mnmeditor4

Dang. What’s up with what’s going down. RIP m.youtube.com/watch?v=DXWP...

David Gallaher3

Damn. I loved L7. Rest in peace.

Kathy Valentine

@kathyvalentine.bsky.social

I woke up to the sad news that Jennifer Finch has passed on. I can only hope she was aware of and felt the love and support of the thousands who rallied to support her. I don’t know if there is any bass player in our community who wasn’t inspired by her thrilling fire performances with L7

13245d ago

Albumism

@albumism.com

R.I.P. Jennifer Finch of L7, who has passed away after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer. Thank you for the music. bit.ly/3RkYsV6

9445d ago

Maggie Priceless🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇨🇦1

Shitlist is a banger. She will be missed.

Mark Yarm

@markyarm.bsky.social

Tried to find a representative Jennifer Finch quote from my book and settled on this one:

JENNIFER FINCH People were throwing mud at us when we were play
ing. Donita was like, “Fuck this!” and went behind her amp and pulled
out her tampon and threw it into the audience. It was hysterical. That’s
something we used to do, growing up: drive around and pull our tam
pons out and throw them at people that made comments. It’s the
ultimate kind of “fuck you.” I always thought Donita was a bit of a
reactionary, but thank God, she just expressed how angry and upset she was at that moment.

6745d ago

Centuries of Sound

@centuriesofsound.bsky.social

RIP Jennifer Finch of L7, will never forget watching this aged 13. youtu.be/GypkmEUhHvQ

6945d ago

Conner of Kinghorn6

Friday night TV in the 90s "What did you do last night?" "Stayed in, watched the TV" "Anything good?" "A guy licked a fat person's armpit, Ivy from Corrie got shit faced and some female band got their biffs out and threw tampons at the crowd" "The Word?" "Aye"

Rob the Bastard, Lord of Misrule1

Loved this. I was 21, but I never forgot it either. Fantastic!

Tree Bird1

No! I watched this first time round, aged 13 too.

Quoting this

SwearyMess2

Oh man. Thats so sad. I was 14 and this performance forever changed me. I wanted to be Donita Sparks more than anything else in the world.

Mindy Weisberger

@laminda.bsky.social

OH GODDAMN IT. Farewell to L7's facemelting bassist Jennifer Finch, dead of brain cancer at age 59 just days after the band went public with her diagnosis www.billboard.com/music/rock/j...

4945d ago

Richard

@ricrus77.bsky.social

Just read the sad news that Jennifer Finch from L7 has passed away. It was only announced this week that she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Giving Bricks Are Heavy a blast in her honour. RIP Jennifer ❤️

7245d ago

Hairy Gut1

Very sad to hear it. They are a great band and she was tremendously charismatic. We’ve seen them live a couple of times at Download festival. RIP

Tom H1

Oh no 😪 Used to listen to them loads. I shall crack out some tunes in her memory! 🌹

juno Rylee Schultz

@junoryleejournalism.com

Jennifer Finch just passed away. I don’t know what to say. It’s devastating. Her and her agent were really kind to me on Instagram and in emails. We were going to doing an interview about her work and life. Her and her agent was so sweet to me and i know I didn’t KNOW her but I’m devastated

6045d ago

B Rainwater3

Rest in peace to an underrated punk icon. Without Jennifer and Sugar Babydoll, we don't get Hole or Babes in Toyland or L7. A huge loss.

3 sources

themusic.com.auL7 Bassist Jennifer Finch Passes Away, Aged 59 stereogum.comJennifer Finch, L7 Bassist, Dead At 59 rollingstone.comJennifer Finch, L7 Bassist, Dead at 59

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L7 bassist Jennifer Finch dies at 59

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