Dixie Chicks founding member Laura Lynch dies in car accident
Laura Lynch, a founding member of the multi-Grammy Award-winning country band The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks), has died in a car accident in Texas.
Spot On News – Entertainment English
EL PASO, Texas — A man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a head-on crash in west Texas that killed Laura Lynch, a founding member of the country music band now known as the Chicks, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, prosecutors announced.
As part of a plea agreement, Domenic Chavez, 33, admitted to driving recklessly on Dec. 22, 2023, causing the head-on crash that killed Lynch, the El Paso District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release Tuesday, Feb. 24. Lynch, 65, died shortly after Chavez tried to pass four cars and crashed into Lynch’s truck.
The incident occurred on an undivided highway in Hudspeth County, about 80 miles east of El Paso. The El Paso District Attorney’s Office also has jurisdiction over neighboring Hudspeth and Culberson counties.
“Ms. Lynch’s death has caused deep sadness for her family, the Del City community, and everyone who valued her music. That loss is made even more profound by the fact that it occurred just days before Christmas,” El Paso District Attorney James Montoya said in a statement. “Our office will continue to hold the defendant accountable for his choice to drive in an extremely dangerous manner.”
Laura Lynch dies in West Texas crash
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the District Attorney’s Office, Lynch was driving a 2016 Ford F-150 eastbound when he collided head-on with a 2022 Dodge Ram 1500 that was attempting to pass four vehicles at the same time. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to authorities, the fatal accident occurred at around 5:45 p.m. local time on a cloudy day when the road surface was dry. The other truck caught fire, and Chavez was hospitalized with injuries.
Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, but accident reconstruction investigators determined Chavez was driving between 166 and 114 mph at the time of the crash, the district attorney’s office said. He also had convictions in El Paso County in 2014 and 2017 for driving on a revoked license for failure to comply with DUI-related penalties, the district attorney’s office added.
Chavez’s lawyer, Manuel Parra, said in a statement that Chavez “has expressed deep remorse for the loss of life and the suffering it has caused, and has accepted responsibility by pleading guilty,” adding that Chavez decided to plead the case because he faces a possible sentence of five to 99 years in prison.
Lynch was a founding member of the Dixie Chicks.
Lynch, a graduate of El Paso’s Coronado High School, was a strong advocate for his hometown of Del City, a small community in Hudspeth County, the El Paso Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
She divided her time between Fort Worth and Del City and remained busy managing rental properties and advocating for her hometown. Her parents had deep roots in the town’s agriculture and water development.
Lynch was one of the four founding members of the Dixie Chicks band, formed in 1989 with sisters Marty McGuire and Emily Strayer (whose family name was Irwin) and Robin Lynn Macy.
Lynch played upright bass and later became the lead singer. They recorded three albums: Thank Heavens for Dale Evans in 1990, Little Ol’ Cowgirl in 1992, and Shouldn’t You Told You That in 1993?
She left the Dixie Chicks in 1995 and was replaced by Natalie Maines as the band pivoted from bluegrass to mainstream country. Mr. Lynch resigned long before Mr. Maines publicly criticized then-President George W. Bush in 2003, sparking a backlash and boycott of national radio.
The band changed its name to The Chicks in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and subsequent racial injustice. They dropped “Dixie” from their name to allude to the Confederate-era South during the national racial consciousness movement.
After Lynch’s death, The Chicks said in a social media post that she was a “bright light” and a “contributor” to the band’s early success.
The band wrote, “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks. The time we spent playing music, laughing, and traveling together holds a special place in our hearts.” “Her infectious energy and humor provided a spark in the early days of our band. Laura has a flair for design and a love of all things Texas that contributed to the band’s early success.”
Contributed by Gary Levin and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY. Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times
