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Donna Jean Godchaux, who sang with the\u00a0Grateful Dead <\/a>from 1972\u00a0to 1979, has died.<\/p>\n Godchaux died on Nov. 2 at a Nashville hospice. According to a statement<\/a>, Godchaux had a “lengthy struggle with cancer.”<\/p>\n “She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss,” the statement noted. “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.'”<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Grateful Dead Albums Ranked<\/a><\/p>\n Born in Florence, Alabama, Godchaux was a backing singer on\u00a0recording sessions from\u00a0the state’s famous Muscle Shoals music scene.<\/p>\n She\u00a0sang backup for artists like Cher<\/a>, Boz Scaggs<\/a> and Joe Tex, including two No. 1 hits from the 1960s: Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” and Elvis Presley<\/a>‘s “Suspicious Minds.”<\/p>\n In 1970, she\u00a0married keyboardist Keith Godchaux after moving to California, and within a couple of years, both were members of the Grateful Dead.<\/p>\n Donna Jean Godchaux first appeared on the Dead’s classic live album, Europe ’72<\/em>, and continued to perform in concert and in the studio with the band until the end of the decade.<\/p>\n Her run with the group includes the Grateful Dead studio records\u00a0Wake of the Flood<\/a><\/em>, From the Mars Hotel<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Blues for Allah<\/a><\/em>, Terrapin Station<\/em> and\u00a0Shakedown Street<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n Godchaux and her husband also made the 1975 album, Keith & Donna<\/em>, which featured Grateful Dead bandmate Jerry Garcia<\/a>. The duo also appeared on Garcia’s solo albums during this time.<\/p>\n After leaving the Grateful Dead, the Godchauxs formed the Heart of Gold Band, but Keith died<\/a> from injuries sustained in a car accident not long after the group’s first concert in 1980.<\/p>\n Since then, Godchaux has recorded music as a solo artist and with other bands, often appearing onstage with her former Grateful Dead bandmates.<\/p>\n Godchaux continued to be active into this decade, releasing a single titled “Shelter” as Donna Jean and the Tricksters\u00a0in 2021.<\/p>\n A look at those we’ve lost.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Grateful Dead Recordings Did Donna Jean Godchaux Perform On?<\/h3>\n
What Did Donna Jean Godchaux Do After the Grateful Dead?<\/h3>\n
In Memoriam: 2025 Deaths<\/h2>\n