Nell Smith, Flaming Lips collaborator, dead at 17: 'Hold your kids extra tight tonight'
Nell Smith, the young Canadian singer who began a collaboration with the Flaming Lips after a chance concert encounter, has died at 17.
Nell Smith, the young singer from Canada who collaborated with the Flaming Lips, has died at age 17.
Representatives for Smith confirmed the news to Fox News Digital.
Her family also shared a post on social media, with photos of Smith through the years.
"It pains us so much to say that our feisty, talented, unique, beautiful daughter was cruelly taken from us on Saturday night," they wrote. "We are reeling from the news and don’t know what to do or say."
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They continued, "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 world 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," the post, signed her family, Jude, Rachel, Jed and Ike, concluded.
A cause of death has not been confirmed by the family.
Fan video from Sunday did show Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne tearfully telling the audience that Smith died in a car accident.
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Smith was set to release a debut album in 2025 with the record label Bella Union.
Simon Raymonde, the label’s owner, also shared a touching tribute to the late singer on social media.
"We are all shocked and devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic passing of our artist and dear friend Nell Smith, over the weekend in British Columbia," Raymonde wrote on behalf of the label.
The statement continued, "Nell was just 17 and was preparing for the release of her first solo record in early 2025 on Bella Union, made in Brighton with Penelope Isles’ Jack and Lily Wolter. Her first release was an album of covers of Nick Cave songs recorded with fellow Bella Union artistes The Flaming Lips back in 2021 entitled, ‘Where The Viaduct Looms.’"
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"While we all try and come to terms with the awful news, and out of respect to Nell’s grieving family, we are unable to make any further comments at this time. The Bella Union Family."
Smith’s connection with The Flaming Lips began in 2018 when she was just 12. She attended one of the band’s shows in a parrot costume, which was spotted by Coyne, according to Billboard.
That led to an ongoing friendship between Smith, her family, and Coyne, who encouraged her to learn guitar.
The COVID-19 pandemic derailed plans to record together, but Coyne suggested Smith record covers of Nick Cave’s work, leading to their 2021 album, "Where the Viaduct Looms," featuring Smith singing backed by The Flaming Lips.
Coyne told the outlet at the time, "It is always great to meet excited, young creative people. With Nell, we could see she is on a journey and thought it would be fun to join her for a while and see if we could get things going."
