Jennifer Finch, the powerhouse bassist of L7 during the band’s creative peak in the 1990s, has died. That, according to her Instagram account. She was 59.
A social media post from the band today noted Finch waged “a long courageous fight with brain cancer.” Earlier this month, friends and family launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for “professional in-home nursing care, physical and speech therapy, medical equipment.” As of today, that fundraiser had raised $395,000 on its goal of $350,000.
A Rolling Stone profile of the band once described Finch as “an ill-behaved and untrained bassist who added instant verve to their live act” when she joined in 1986. She left in 1996 in order to get sober and deal with the death of her father. During her first run with the band Finch, who also contributed vocals, wrote the songs “(Right On) Thru”, “Everglade” and “Shirley.”
In 1994, Finch and bandmates Suzi Gardner (guitars, vocals), Donita Sparks (vocals, guitars) and Dee Plakas (drums, vocals) played a band called called Camel Lips in John Waters’ Serial Mom, performing the track “Gas Chamber,” which they co-wrote with Waters. Finch also had a small part in the 2017 film Scumbag.
She joined Gardner, Sparks, and Plakas in L7 again from 2014 to 2026.
Before L7, Finch was in Sugar Babydoll alongside Courtney Love and future Babes in Toyland founder Kat Bjelland.
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The band issued a statement today praising “Jennifer Finch, whose fierce spirit, humor and boundless creativity helped shape L7 and changed all of our lives forever. Jennifer was a true original who lived entirely on her own terms, and the impact she made on music, art and everyone lucky enough to know her cannot be measured.”
The post to Finch’s personal Instagram account read, “We are devastated to announce the death of our partner, sister, daughter, and friend Jennifer Precious Finch. Jennifer’s impact on the world of music was seismic; her impact on our lives, even moreso. We appreciate everyone’s interest and concern, thank you for all the kind messages. We appreciate some space to heal privately during this difficult time.”
