The music industry is mourning the loss of Nell Smith, who has died at the young age of 17. Simon Raymonde, bassist and keyboardist for Cocteau Twins and the head of Bella Union, which was preparing to release her debut album, confirmed her death on Instagram. Tributes have been pouring in from across the globe ever since news of her death was made public.
Although no specific cause of death was provided, Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of The Flaming Lips, announced her death during a concert in Portland, Oregon, revealing that she had been involved in a car accident.
Unexpected Death Leaves Music World Bereaved
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Raymonde posted five photos of Nell, including one with her brother Ike, another of her standing by a campfire with a guitar, a third with Coyne in London, a fourth featuring the vinyl of her song “Where The Viaduct Looms,” and one with Warren Ellis.
“We are all shocked and devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic passing of our artist and dear friend Nell Smith, over the weekend in British Columbia,” Raymonde began.
“Nell was just 17 and was preparing for the release of her first solo record in early 2025 on Bella Union, made in Brighton with Penelope Isles’ Jack and Lily Wolter,” Raymonde added.
“Her first release was an album of covers of Nick Cave songs recorded with fellow Bella Union artistes The Flaming Lips back in 2021 entitled, Where The Viaduct Looms,” he added.
“While we all try and come to terms with the awful news, and out of respect to Nell’s grieving family, we are unable to make any further comments at this time,” the message ended.
Music Fraternity Mourns Death
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During the concert on Saturday, Coyne informed the audience about her tragic death. “We have a Canadian friend, her name is Nell. We recorded an amazing album with her three years ago, an album full of songs by Nick Cave,” Coyne began.
“We got some very sad messages today… that she was killed in a car accident last night,” he added, while getting choked up.
“We are reminded once again of the power of music and how encouraging it can be to be around people that you love,” he said.
Smith and her parents often attended The Flaming Lips concerts, where she always donned a parrot costume at their shows in Calgary. Coyne recognized her from past performances and approached the young girl, and they managed to stay in touch throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the lockdown, they took the opportunity to record a collection of Nick Cave cover songs titled Where the Viaduct Looms, which was released in November 2021 when Smith was only 14.
Last summer, she launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund her debut solo album, which exceeded its funding goal.
The most recent update in early August 2024 suggested that she was working on the music video for her song “Split in the Sky,” and that her album was still in the works.
