Nell Smith, Flaming Lips Collaborator and Music Prodigy, Dead at 17

In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2024

Friends and household are mourning the nonaccomplishment of a young philharmonic prodigy.

Nell Smith, the 17-year-old who is champion known for collaborating with The Flaming Lips, passed distant abruptly connected Oct. 5.

“It pains america truthful overmuch to accidental that our feisty, talented, unique, beauteous girl was cruelly taken from america connected Saturday night,” Nell’s household said successful an Instagram tribute station connected Oct. 7. “We are reeling from the quality and don’t cognize what to bash oregon say.”

Nell was slated to merchandise her debut solo medium successful aboriginal 2025 aft releasing an medium of covers of Nick Cave songs with The Flaming Lips successful 2021 titled Where the Viaduct Looms.

“She had truthful overmuch much to acquisition and to springiness this satellite but we are grateful that she got to acquisition truthful precise overmuch successful her 17 years,” her household continued. “She has near an indelible people connected the connection and an unfillable chasm successful our hearts. Hold your kids other choky contiguous and for present delight permission america to enactment done things. We volition outcry erstwhile we request you. Jude, Rachel, Jed and Ike x.”

Simone Raymonde, the proprietor of the grounds statement Bella Union which was releasing Nell’s debut album, shared different tribute to the precocious singer.

“We are each shocked and devastated to perceive of the abrupt and tragic passing of our creator and beloved person Nell Smith, implicit the play successful British Columbia,” Simone wrote. “Nell was conscionable 17 and was preparing for the merchandise of her archetypal solo grounds successful aboriginal 2025 connected Bella Union.”

Simone added, “While we each effort and travel to presumption with the atrocious news, and retired of respect to Nell’s grieving family, we are incapable to marque immoderate further comments astatine this time.”

In 2023, Nell explained her emotion of euphony to fans portion asking for contributions to her Kickstarter to grounds her solo album.

“Music has been successful my beingness for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember,” the teen said successful a YouTube video. “Usually that was conscionable putting connected headphones and listening to euphony and past I picked up a guitar and realized I could play different people’s songs. And past erstwhile I was 11 I wrote my ain songs and realized that was a truly large mode for maine to articulate my feelings and emotions.”