The Chicks co-founder Laura Lynch dead after car accident in Texas

EL PASO, Texas (TND) — Laura Lynch, the Texas musician best known as the original upright bassist and founding member of The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) died Friday following a car crash outside of El Paso, Texas. She was 65.

The Chicks released a statement honoring her passing Saturday evening, following confirmation earlier in the day by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which released a report detailing the circumstances of the accident.

According to the investigating officer, Lynch was driving eastbound along an undivided, two-lane portion of highway when a vehicle driving westbound tried to pass a car in front of it and hit her car head on. While the crash caused the insigating vehicle to catch fire – the driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries – the collision with Lynch's car led her to be pronounced dead when paramedics arrived on the scene.

"We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks. We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing and traveling together," The Chicks wrote in a message posted on the band's social media channels.

Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band. Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West.

While joining the band originally as its upright bass player, Lynch moved on to becoming the group's lead vocalist following the departure of founding lead vocalist Robin Lynn Macy. Lynch left the group after three albums, when the trio signed their major label deal and added lead vocalist Natalie Maines to cement the group's now near-30 year unchanging line-up.

The Chicks became one of the most popular country acts in the early 2000s, with multi-multi-platinum singles and albums, notably the trio's 2002 album "Home." The group was dormant at the end of the decade (and the first years of the 2010s), however, after facing tremendous backlash from the country music establishment and consumer base after it criticized President George W. Bush and the invasion of Iraq during a 2003 Texas concert. The trio later dropped "dixie" from their name in 2020 during renewed conversations about race and identity in the U.S. in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.