Musician Nell Smith, an up-and-coming singer known for collaborating with The Flaming Lips, has died at 17 years old, the victim of a car accident.
Smith’s family confirmed her death in an Instagram post on Tuesday, where they wrote, “It pains us so much to say that our feisty, talented, unique, beautiful daughter was cruelly taken from us on Saturday night.”
“We are reeling from the news and don’t know what to do or say,” Smith’s family went on. “She had so much more to experience and to give this world but we are grateful that she got to experience so very much in her 17 years. She has left an indelible mark on the word and an unfillable chasm in our hearts.
“Hold your kids extra tight tonight and for now please leave us to work through things. We will shout when we need you. Jude, Rachel, Jed and Ike.”
The Flaming Lips’ frontman, Wayne Coyne, was one of the first to share the tragic news, mourning his former collaborator Sunday during a concert in Portland, Oregon.
According to the The Hollywood Reporter, Coyne told the audience, “We have a very sad announcement to make tonight.”
Jim Dyson via Getty Images
“We have a Canadian friend, her name is Nell. We recorded an amazing album with her three years ago, an album full of songs by Nick Cave,” he said. “We have some very sad messages today — she was killed in a car accident last night.”
“We are reminded once again of the power of music and how encouraging it can be to be around people that you love,” Coyne concluded, before paying tribute to Smith with the song “Suddenly Everything Has Changed.”
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Smith forged a friendship with Coyne and the band after attending one of their 2018 concerts wearing a parrot costume, much to the singer’s amusement.
During the pandemic, Coyne encouraged the teen to learn guitar, paving the way for her to work on an album of Nick Cave covers with The Flaming Lips.
The 2021 album, “Where the Viaduct Looms,” ended up earning the attention of the goth rock icon himself, who praised Smith for her rendition of “Girl in Amber.”
“Nell shows a remarkable understanding of the song, a sense of dispassion that is both beautiful and chilling,” Cave wrote on his site, The Red Hand Files. “I just love it. I’m a fan.”
Smith had been readying herself for the 2025 release her debut solo album.