Low vocalist and drummer Mimi Parker has died

Mimi Parker, vocalist and drummer for acclaimed US indie duo Low, has died.

Parker, who formed the slowcore band with her husband Alan Sparhawk in 1993, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late 2020. In August, the band cancelled a string of shows due to “recent developments and changes” in Parker’s treatment, with all 2022 dates then cancelled last month.

Taking to Twitter today (November 6), Sparhawk confirmed the news of Parker’s death. He wrote: “Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but She passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours.

“Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most important thing.”

Parker and Sparhawk formed Low together in 1993 in Duluth, Minnesota, with the pair releasing debut album ‘I Can Live In Hope’ the following year.

Across the next three decades, the pair released 12 more studio albums, reaching a creative and critical peak with their last two albums, 2018’s ‘Double Negative’ and last year’s ‘Hey What’.

Reviewing ‘Hey What’ upon its release in 2021, NME wrote: “The voices of guitarist Alan Sparhawk and drummer Mimi Parker remain one of pop’s most wondrous pairings, but here the canvas on which they paint pictures is broader and taller than ever before.

“Low aren’t merely playing rock music gently and slowly: now they’re attempting to rewrite the language of the genre.”

Many tributes have been paid to Parker in the wake of her death. Steve Albini wrote: “I heard the news in the most base circumstances, surrounded by degenerates, stuck and cursing, in a conference room in Deerfield. I was momentarily overwhelmed, the sound of her voice resonant in my memory, beautiful and heartbreaking. Godspeed Mimi Parker. Requiescat.”

Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite said he was “absolutely heartbroken” by the news, adding: “Sending all my love to Alan and his family.”
Beak> added: “We can’t express how saddened we are of this news. Mimi & Alan have created some of the greatest music of our time and to have spent time with them was a very humbling experience for us. A beautiful couple. Our thoughts are with Alan and their family.”

 

 

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