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4w ago

Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Grateful Dead Vocalist, Dies at 78

Her gospel-tinged harmonies helped define the Dead’s 1970s era after early success as a Muscle Shoals session singer.

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Donna Jean Godchaux performed with Dead & Company at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on June 12, 2016, in Manchester, Tenn. Godchaux, the soulful vocalist who helped define the Grateful Dead’s 1970s sound and sang with Elvis Presley, died at 78 on Nov. 2, 2025.

Overview

  • Her representative and family said she died Nov. 2 at Alive Hospice in Nashville after a lengthy struggle with cancer, calling her “a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit” and requesting privacy.
  • She performed with the Grateful Dead from 1971/72 through 1979 as the band’s only full-time female vocalist, appearing on key releases including Europe ’72, Wake of the Flood and Terrapin Station.
  • Before joining the band, she sang backing vocals on landmark hits such as Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Minds and Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman, and recorded with artists including Cher and Neil Diamond.
  • She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a member of the Grateful Dead and later led projects including the Heart of Gold Band and the Donna Jean Godchaux Band.
  • The Grateful Dead posted a tribute praising her “unmistakable voice and radiant spirit” and extended condolences to her loved ones while asking for privacy for her family.