L7 Bassist Jennifer Finch Dies at 59
Jennifer Finch, the longtime bassist of the ’90s feminist grunge band L7, has died. Finch was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2011 and, more recently, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Her bandmates shared the news of her death on Saturday (July 18) along with a statement on Instagram, calling her a “beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker.” Finch was 59.
“We
are shattered by the loss of our beloved bandmate, sister and friend
Jennifer Finch, whose fierce spirit, humor and boundless creativity
helped shape L7 and changed all of our lives forever,” L7 wrote in a
longer statement shared with Pitchfork. “Jennifer was a true original
who lived entirely on her own terms, and the impact she made on music,
art and everyone lucky enough to know her cannot be measured. We love
her beyond words and will carry her with us always. Rest in power our
dear friend. With Love, L7.”
After announcing in 2014 that they planned to get back together, L7 officially returned the following year with extensive reunion tours, this time with Finch back in their ranks. They started working on new material with similarly confrontational lyrics, such as “Dispatch From Mar-a-Lago” and “I Came Back to Bitch,” and were the subject of a new documentary, L7: Pretend We’re Dead by Sarah Price. Come 2019, L7 rolled out their first album in 20 years, Scatter the Rats.
“L7 ain’t over yet. I’m in my 50s now and we still get to be examples,” Finch told Guitar World last year. “But also we get to fail publicly in a way that we couldn’t do in our 20s. I’ve never felt directly responsible for anyone picking up a guitar – pick up your own fucking guitar! It’s a thing you gotta do or do not. I’m very heart-warmed when particularly women say, ‘Because of you, I got into politics’ or ‘I got my medical degree because of you.’ You know, fighting for housing rights, that’s awesome.”
L7 celebrated their 40th anniversary last year with a special concert at the Belasco in Los Angeles. They also had plans to embark on their Last Hurrah farewell tour without Finch, which is set for this fall, after receiving a blessing from the late bassist to do so.
Countless musicians have paid their respects to Finch while mourning her loss, including heartfelt tributes by the Go-Go’s Kathryn Valentine, Garbage, Lunachicks, and Circle Jerks’ Greg Hetson. “God bless Jennifer Finch, bassist of L7 and all-around great person,” Tom Morello wrote in an Instagram story. “She welcomed my nerdy ass to LA with kindness & respect and without judgement despite her insanely cool stature. She was an important fixture of the LA scene and a friend I admired and she will be missed.”
