Some awful news from the '90s grunge band L7 – bassist Jennifer Finch has been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive’ form of brain cancer.
Her bandmates – Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Demetra Plakas - confirmed it in an Instagram post yesterday (13 July), with frontwoman Sparks adding in a separate statement: "We are all devastated by the news and are surrounding her with love, protecting her privacy and dignity, while helping raise the resources she urgently needs for the care ahead.
"Jennifer is family, and we want her to feel the full strength of the community that has loved and supported her for so many years.”
The band were to head out on their supposedly-final Last Hurrah tour in October. This will still go ahead, though without Finch, understandably. The bassist has given her colleagues her blessing to go ahead without her.
They have also directed fans to a GoFundMe page to help with the cost of her treatments and ongoing care.
“When she first heard the diagnosis, there was reason to believe that treatment, including a full course of radiation, would get her back to some version of normal living. Unforeseen complications led to multiple surgeries and a string of difficult setbacks,” the page explains. “The cancer and everything that comes with it have left her with significant physical limitations so she’s handling this the only way she knows how: one day at a time.”
Finch’s friends and family are no longer able to cover the level of around-the-clock care required for her and so donations will cover physical therapy, in-home nursing care and other home care, medical expenses, legal fees and more.
Among those who have so far contributed to the fund is Michael Stipe who has written on Bluesky: “Punk rock and alternative music would not be what it is or where it is without Jennifer Finch. We send loving energy to her. Please - if you can - every contribution helps. Thanks, xx Michael.”
L7 were formed in Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, with their greatest period of success coinciding with the grunge era of the early '90s. You’ll, of course, know them for Pretend We’re Dead, a pop/rock gem that hasn’t (yet) been ruined by over-exposure: it sounds as daisy fresh now as it did in 1992. They reformed in 2014, with their most recent album being 2019’s Scatter The Rats.
