L7 bassist Jennifer Finch dies at 59 after brain cancer fight

Jennifer Precious Finch of the Los Angeles punk band L7 has died following a battle with brain cancer. She was 59.

Her bandmates mourned the death of the “troublemaker” musician with a message celebrating her resilience on Sunday.

“With a very heavy heart we announce that our beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker Jennifer Finch has passed away today,” L7 posted on Instagram. “She had a long courageous fight with brain cancer and was loved by many wonderful friends, musical peers and fans worldwide. We love you Jennifer.”

Finch is credited with helping make L7 a noteworthy part of the early grunge scene after joining the band in 1986. She left the band after about a decade, then resurfaced in 2014 and remained active with the group until she died.

A GoFundMe initiative to pay her medical bills last week raised nearly $400,000.

It acknowledged that Finch “may have more good days behind her than ahead” due to the disease that was said to have taken a toll on her physically. There had been hope that comprehensive treatment including radiation might net a positive result. Her bandmates conceded that “unforeseen complications led to multiple surgeries and a string of difficult setbacks.”

Musicians including Joan Jett and Courtney Love shared a link to that fundraiser on their social media pages.

Finch was remembered by rock royalty including Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

“God bless her. An important fixture of the LA scene, a super cool person, a true artist with a kind and welcoming heart,” Morello posted. “I loved, respected and admired her greatly. She will be missed.”

Sean Ono Lennon and the band Garbage also expressed condolences.

Former Hole drummer Patty Schemel thanked Finch for being a role model.

“You showed my you can be clean and sober in this world and continue to create,” she wrote on Instagram. “Thank you.”

Finch once confessed that playing music wasn’t always her chief priority.

“I didn’t want to be a musician,” she said in a 2019 interview with the website Pleasekillme.com. “I wanted the lifestyle of being a musician. I wanted to do drugs, I wanted the boys, I wanted to travel. Those were the three things that I wanted. The unfortunate part was I would have to learn how to play an instrument.”

L7 announced in May that former Limp Bizkit bassist Tsuzumi Okai would fill in for Finch during the band’s summer shows, but expected her to be back on stage in the fall. The band is slated to perform its The Last Hurrah tour at Maspeth’s Knockout Center in October.