Donna Jean Godchaux, the powerhouse vocalist who helped define the Grateful Dead’s sound throughout the 1970s, has passed away at the age of 78. The Alabama-born singer passed away on Sunday, November 2, at a hospice facility in Nashville after what her family described as a “lengthy struggle with cancer,” according to Rolling Stone.
A statement shared with the publication said: “She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss. The family requests privacy at this time of grieving. In the words of Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, ‘May the four winds blow her safely home.’” Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, as she later became known, joined the Grateful Dead in 1971 alongside her husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux. Her rich harmonies became a key part of the band’s most celebrated era, featuring on classic albums including Europe ’72, Wake of the Flood, and Terrapin Station.
Cornell ’77 show to their unforgettable 1978 concerts at the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
Before her years with the Dead, Donna carved out a stellar career as one of the South’s most in-demand session singers. Working in the legendary Muscle Shoals studios, she lent her voice to a string of soul and rock classics — among them Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman and Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Minds.
She also appeared on recordings by Cher, Neil Diamond, Boz Scaggs, Duane Allman, and Ben E. King.
Reflecting on her sessions with Presley in 1969, Donna told Rolling Stone in 2014 that recording with the King was a “very intense” experience: “We were so professional when we were singing,” she said.
“But after the session ended, we went into the International House of Pancakes in Memphis and screamed bloody murder for about an hour, holding up that little Polaroid picture of us and Elvis together.”
This is a breaking showbiz story, the /showbiz team will be updating this story with the latest information as soon as we receive it. For further updates, please refresh the page
You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest TV stories straight to your inbox bysigning up for our newsletters.
Get all the very best headlines, pictures, opinion and video on the day’s top showbiz stories by followingExpress.co.uk every time you see our name.
You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news and all the latest updates by following @Daily_Express, or for the latest TV and showbiz news, follow @expressceleb
Keep up-to-date with your must-see TV stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at
Express Celebrity
