Nell Smith, a rising Canada-based musician who was best known for her work with the Flaming Lips, has died. She was 17.
Smith died Saturday evening, her family announced Monday in a statement on the singer-songwriter‘s Instagram page. Smith was “feisty, talented, unique, beautiful” and the family said it is “reeling from the news and don’t know what to do or say.”
“She had so much more to experience and give this world but we are grateful that she got to experience so much in her 17 years,” the statement continued. “She has left an indelible mark on the world and an unfillable chasm in our heart.”
Smith’s label, Bella Union, and Katy Coyne, wife of Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, also confirmed the young singer’s death on social media. Katy Coyne said Smith died in a car accident. Wayne Coyne had also shared the news during a Portland show over the weekend, according to video shared on social media.
“She was killed in a car accident last night,” Wayne Coyne said, seemingly holding back tears. “We’re reminded once again of the power of music and how encouraging it can be to be around people that you love.”
Smith, who celebrated her birthday in July, was a devoted fan of the Flaming Lips years before she became a collaborator. On Instagram, she recalled seeing the Grammy-winning “Do You Realize??” and “My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion” group in concert in 2017.
“I got so into the #flaminglips and was desperate to see them but didn’t think I would be able to because of where we live. Then my parents managed to get tickets to see them,” she wrote in 2021. “It’s a bit embarrassing but I was in tears when they told me!!!”
A year after the memorable concert experience, Nell saw the Flaming Lips again and managed to place a letter on the band’s tour bus, helping her catch Wayne Coyne’s eye, according to her website. Coyne stayed in contact with Smith’s parents as she built up a music career of her own.
In 2020, Smith was officially part of the Flaming Lips family as she recorded an album of Nick Cave covers, mentored by Lips lead singer Coyne. In November 2021 Smith and the Flaming Lips released “Where the Viaduct Looms,” which featured new takes on Cave’s “Weeping Song,” “The Ship Song” and “We Know Who You Are,” among other tracks. Cave gave the Smith-Flaming Lips project his stamp of approval.
“I was going to say Nell Smith inhabits [“Girl in Amber”] but that’s wrong, rather she vacates the song, in a way that I could never do,” the Australian musician wrote on his website. “I always found it difficult to step away from this particular song and sing it with its necessary remove, just got so twisted up in the words, I guess. Nell shows a remarkable understanding of the song, a sense of dispassion that is both beautiful and chilling. I just love it. I’m a fan.”
Smith’s partnership with the Flaming Lips came during the COVID-19 pandemic. The singer, who was based in British Columbia, told CBC in 2020 that limitations made for a “really interesting and tough year.”
“But I think working with the Flaming Lips has made it a very memorable year of my life,” Smith said. “I think it’s been a really, really lucky experience.”
Smith, who was born in Leeds, England, in 2007, was set to release her first solo record early next year, Bella Union boss Simon Raymonde said Monday on Instagram. “While we all try and come to terms with the awful news, and out of respect o Nell’s grieving family, we are unable to make further comments at this time.”
Concluding its announcement, the singer’s family urged people to “hold your kids extra tight tonight and for now please leave us to work through things.”
