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Singer Melanie Safka has died at the age of 76.
The American folk musician, best known for her song “Brand New Key” and her rendition of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Ruby Tuesday,” passed away “peacefully” on Tuesday (January 23 and 24), her family said. announced.
Melanie’s children, Layla, Jordy and Beau Jared, shared the news in a Facebook post on Wednesday (January 24), saying the cause of death was unknown, but Melanie’s representatives said: The statement said Melanie had been suffering from an “illness”.
A full statement from the family reads: “Message from Layla, Jordi, and Beau Jared.
“Dear people,
“This is the most difficult post for us to write. There is so much we want to say, but there is no easier way than to say it first… My mother passed away peacefully from this world to the next in January. 23rd, 2024.
“While we are heartbroken, we would like to thank you all for your love for our mother and let you know that she loved you all very much. She was one of the most talented and strong people of her time. , one passionate woman, and every word she wrote, every note she sang reflected that.
“Although our world has grown much darker and the gloomy colors of rainy Tennessee pale in her absence today, she is still here, smiling from the stars to all of us, all of you.” We know that.
“Tonight, Wednesday, January 24th, at 10 p.m. Central Time, each of you may light a candle in Melanie’s honor. Raise it, raise it higher, raise it again. Let us all join together in remembering this amazing woman who was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to so many.
“We are planning a Celebration of Life for our moms and anyone who would like to come and celebrate their moms can do so. Details will be announced as soon as they are finalized. We hope you will come. We’ll be expecting you.
“Please allow us, her family, privacy at this time as we mourn her, remember her, and consider how we will live in this crazy world without her.
Thank you for all your love – you meant so much to her.
“Love and peace,
“Layla, Jordy, and Beau Jared.”
Melanie Safka, better known by her stage name Melanie, has recently been working on a new album featuring cover songs.
The album, titled Second Hand Smoke, would have been her 32nd album.
She was 22 years old when she performed at the iconic Woodstock festival in 1969, which also featured Joan Baez, Jimi Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead.
She once said that she waited hours to perform as her anxiety continued to increase.
“The fear kept building inside me. I was all alone at the thought of performing in front of that big stage with that many people.
“Then it started raining, and I really believed everyone was going to get up and go home. ‘It’s raining, I’m free, I’m going back to my life.’ Maybe I’m an archaeologist. Maybe I’ll join the Peace Corps.”
“Then they said, ‘You’re next.'”
Born on February 3, 1947 in Astoria, New York, Melanie studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts while pursuing a career as a singer.
She began playing gigs at coffee houses and folk clubs in Greenwich Village during the booming New York folk scene, where she met her future manager, producer, and husband, Peter Shekerik, in 1967. .
She signed with Columbia Records and released the singles “Beautiful People” and “Garden in the City”, but when Clive Davis refused to record an album, she left the label and released her debut LP on Buddha Records. was released. “Lay Down” was her first American hit, followed by “Peace Will Come,” “What Have They Done to My Song Ma,” and “The Nickel Song.” ” and a cover of the Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday” became a hit.
In 1971, Billboard named her the best-selling female artist in the United States that year.
Melanie became a spokesperson for UNICEF and continued to record albums regularly until her husband’s death in 2010.
She also frequently teamed up with her children for live recording gigs for internet streaming.
