L7 Bassist Jennifer Finch Dies at 59
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- Jennifer Finch, longtime bassist of feminist grunge band L7, died July 18 at 59 after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, following a 2011 thyroid cancer diagnosis.
- L7 shared the news on Instagram, calling Finch a "beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker" and signing off with "Rest in power our dear friend," while sharing a longer tribute with Pitchfork.
- After her brain cancer diagnosis, Finch initially pursued radiation, but "unforeseen complications" led to multiple surgeries requiring extensive medical care — prompting bandmates to launch a GoFundMe to cover her expenses and at-home care.
- Finch played on L7's first four albums — the 1988 self-titled debut, 1990's Smell the Magic, 1992's Bricks Are Heavy, and 1994's Hungry for Stink — and the band's Top 10 Modern Rock hit "Pretend We're Dead" became a feminist anthem lamenting structures that marginalize women.
- L7 co-founded the Rock for Choice concert series in 1991 to champion women's rights, and rejoined with Finch in 2015 for reunion tours, releasing Scatter the Rats in 2019 as their first album in 20 years.
- Finch grew up as an adopted child in Los Angeles, documented the early punk scene as a photographer (shooting the Cramps and Bad Religion), and can be spotted in the 1981 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization; she joined L7 in 1986 without formally knowing how to play bass.
- L7's "Last Hurrah" farewell tour will proceed this fall without Finch after the band received her blessing to continue, following their 40th anniversary concert last year at the Belasco in Los Angeles.
- Tributes poured in from Tom Morello, Garbage, the Go-Go's Kathryn Valentine, Lunachicks, and Circle Jerks' Greg Hetson, with Morello writing that Finch "welcomed my nerdy ass to LA with kindness & respect and without judgement."
Why it matters: Finch's death ends an era for one of rock's most politically outspoken feminist bands. L7's decision to honor her blessing by pressing ahead with the fall "Last Hurrah" farewell tour gives fans a final runway — but without the bassist who anchored their first four albums, co-built the Rock for Choice movement, and, as Morello's tribute underscores, served as a connective figure across decades of the LA scene.
