Grateful Dead singer Donna Jean Godchaux dies aged 78

Donna Jean Godchaux, a singer known for her work with the Grateful Dead in the 1970s, has died at the age of 78. She passed away at a hospice facility in Nashville after a prolonged battle with cancer. Godchaux also contributed as a backing vocalist on well-known songs by artists such as Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge. Born Donna Jean Thatcher in Florence, Alabama, in 1947, she began her music career as a backing singer in the 1960s. During this period, she recorded with numerous artists, including Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge, and appeared on recordings by Boz Scaggs, Duane Allman, Cher, and Neil Diamond. She later moved to California, where she met and married Grateful Dead pianist Keith Godchaux in 1970. She joined the band shortly thereafter, making her debut on the live album "Europe '72." Her first studio album with the Grateful Dead was "Wake of the Flood" in 1973. Godchaux appeared on a total of six Grateful Dead studio albums and left the band with her husband in 1978. The couple also released a duo album, "Keith & D... download the app to read more