Twitch’s Head of Music, Cindy Charles, has tragically died at the age of 69. Over the course of her career, Charles worked for a variety of major companies that included Viacom, Amazon, and most recently, Twitch. While on a recent trip in the Netherlands, though, Charles’ life was cut short after being struck by a vehicle.
News of the death of Charles was reported recently by various outlets in Amsterdam. Charles, who had been visiting the city to speak at the Amsterdam Dance Event, was hit by a garbage truck near Passeerdersgracht. Medical professionals were rushed to the scene where Charles was then pronounced dead.
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Not long after her passing, friends, family, and colleagues of Charles took to social media to speak highly of her. Twitch CEO Daniel Clancy released a heartfelt statement of his own on X and credited her as one of the big reasons why the company was able to introduce its DJ Program earlier in 2024.
“Last week we received some truly tragic news at Twitch about the passing of Cindy Charles,” said Clancy. “Most of the members of the Twitch community are probably not familiar with Cindy’s work, but she has been leading our team that manages our relationship with the music industry. Cindy has a deep history in the music business and she has been critical in creating the strong relationships that we have today.”
“Anyone that uses music on Twitch owes a debt of gratitude to Cindy’s work,” he continued. “She always had a bright smile on her face even as she negotiated unprecedented music licensing agreements for Twitch including the recent DJ agreement. Anyone that worked with Cindy knows how much she cared about everyone with whom she worked. I know everyone that has worked with her was shocked to hear the news. We will all dearly miss her and we are sorry to see her go. A little bit of her will remain with all of us that worked with her all of these years.”
“Cindy was more than just Twitch’s Head of Music — she was the heart and soul of our team, and a force for good in everything she touched,” said Twitch’s Music Label Relations head Kira Karlstrom. “Every success, every setback, every moment of working toward our shared mission felt deeply personal, because Cindy made it that way. She cared about her team with all her heart, and our work was an extension of that care.”
“One day, I can only hope to be half the woman Cindy Charles was,” she continued. “I’ll be forever grateful for the time I had with her. In a world where it’s hard to find women who truly lift each other up, Cindy was the first to come into my life and do just that. […] Cindy’s song may have ended far too soon, but her melody will live on in all of us who were lucky enough to know her.”
Charles is survived by her husband, Ricky Fishman, along with her son Ben and stepson Sam.
“Hug those you hold closely, tell them that you love them…a lot,” wrote Fishman in the wake of her passing. “Life is such a fragile affair, and what we have today, we may not, tomorrow. Sending love to you all, but especially to Cindy, who graced the world with her presence. Her life was cut short, but it burned brightly as her memory surely will.”