Grateful Dead Singer Dead at 78

Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, a singer who performed with The Grateful Dead as well as Elvis Presely and Percy Sledge, has died. She was 78.

Godchaux Passed After a Battle with Cancer

Godchaux-MacKay died on Nov. 2 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Her death was announced in a statement via Relix. She passed away at the Alive Hospice in Nashville. “She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss,” the statement read. “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.'”

Godcahux Performed with Elvis, Cher, and Many More Musicians

Godchaux-MacKay was best known for her tenure with The Grateful Dead, which lasted from 1971 until 1979. She appeared on the group’s albums Wake From the Flood and What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been. Godchaux-MacKay also sang backup on several iconic tracks, including Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman.” In addition to her time headlining the groups Keith, the Donna Jean Band, Donna Jean and the Tricksters, and Donna Godchaux and the Heart of Gold Band, she lent her voice to albums from Bob Weir, Boz Scaggs, and Cher.

Godchaux-MacKay is survived by her husband David; her son Kinsman MacKay and his wife Molly; their children Zion and Delta Godchaux; her sister, Gogi Clark; and her brother, Ivan Thatcher.