
Kim Shattuck
Photo: Jim Dyson/Redferns/Getty Image
Kim Shattuck, Singer/Songwriter & Co-Founder Of The Muffs, Dies At 56
Singer/songeriter and guitarist Kim Shattuck passed away Wednesday after a two-year battle with ALS disease (Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Over the past three decades, Shattuck made waves in the punk and indie rock scenes as co-founder of the Muffs and a member of the Pandoras, The Coolies and Pixies. Shattuck was 56.
"Besides being a brilliant songwriter, rocking guitarist and singer/screamer extrordinaire, Kim was a true force of nature," Roy McDonald & Ronnie Barnett of The Muffs said in a statement. "While battling ALS, Kim produced our last album, overseeing every part of the record from tracking to artwork. She was our best friend and playing her songs was an honor. Goodbye Kimba. We love you more than we could ever say."
Heavily influenced by the Beatles, the Kinks and the Bangles' Sussanah Huff, Shattuck arrived on the L.A. punk scene as part of the Pandoras in the late '80s. She went on to fully realized her dreams and influences when she co-founded the Muffs, who released their self-titled debut in 1993, crafting powerful and catchy songs and delivering them with edge and earnesty that made her an underground indie icon.
A prolific and unstoppable musical force, Shattuck also briefly joined Pixies, formed the supergroup The Beards, collaborated with White Flag, Bowling For Soup and NoFX, and even started a new group recenlty, The Coolies, who released a brand-new EP earlier this year called Uh Oh! It's... The Coolies.
We are devastated about Kim's passing. She was a genuine musician, writer and performer who committed her life for the cause. She brought all of her life force to her endeavors and we are fortunate for her sharing some of that life force with us. RIP. pic.twitter.com/iTBagHViah
— PIXIES (@PIXIES) October 3, 2019
The Muffs final album, No Holiday, is due out Oct. 18 on Omnivore Records. The label also issued a statement on Shattuck's remarkable life and tragic death.
"All of us at Omnivore Recordings are devastated by the loss of our friend Kim Shattuck of The Muffs," the statement reads. "We’re thinking about all her friends and fans, especially her family and bandmates. Her creative fire will endure and inspire artists of tomorrow. We’re so grateful to have been in the audience and to have played a small part in getting more of her music out into the world."
Legendary Opera Singer Jessye Norman Dies At 74