Jennifer Finch, bassist for L7, dies at 59
L7 said Jennifer Finch died Saturday after a long fight with brain cancer, weeks before the band’s U.S. Last Hurrah Tour dates.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Jennifer Finch, the bassist whose hard-driving work helped power L7 through much of the band’s Nineties run, has died at 59 after a fight with brain cancer, the band announced Saturday.
L7 confirmed Finch’s death in a post on Instagram, calling her their “beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker.” The band said she had endured a long fight with brain cancer and was loved by friends, fellow musicians and fans around the world.
Finch had disclosed earlier this month that she was receiving treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to Rolling Stone. The magazine reported that her diagnosis was initially expected to be treatable with radiation, but complications led to multiple surgeries.
Those procedures left Finch with serious physical limitations and a need for extensive care afterward, Rolling Stone reported.
A tour she wanted to go on without her
Finch’s illness forced her to step away from L7’s upcoming U.S. leg of the Last Hurrah Tour. The dates had been planned while she was in good health, according to Rolling Stone.
At the time, Finch asked her bandmates to keep the tour on the calendar despite her absence, the outlet reported.
A GoFundMe created by Finch’s friends and family had been set up before her death to help cover treatment and recovery costs. The fundraiser also said money would support efforts to build an archive of Finch’s work and finish what it described as a major creative project planned for release next year.
From L7’s early chaos to a 2015 reunion
L7 formed in 1985. Finch joined the Los Angeles rock band in 1987, two years before the group moved into the wider alternative-rock spotlight.
Rolling Stone’s 2017 profile of the band described Finch’s arrival as bringing instant energy to L7’s live show, noting that she was an untrained bassist with a wild streak onstage.
The band released its self-titled debut album in 1988. Finch remained L7’s bassist for most of the group’s peak years in the Nineties before leaving in 1996, when she was 30.
L7 became known as an influential rock group with a heavy, abrasive sound that cut across punk, metal and alternative rock. Finch’s bass playing was part of that blunt-force identity during the band’s defining stretch.
After leaving L7, Finch played in OtherStarPeople and the Shocker. She also founded Little Pusher Records and worked extensively as a photographer.
Finch returned to L7 in 2015. She later appeared on the band’s 2019 album Scatter the Rats, marking a recorded comeback with the group she helped make famous.
L7’s Instagram tribute ended with a direct message to Finch: “We love you Jennifer.”
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.