Jennifer Finch, L7 bassist and pioneering figure in LA punk scene, dies at 59

L7 bassist Jennifer Finch died Saturday (July 18) after a battle with brain cancer. She was 59. The influential rock group confirmed news of Finch’s passing in an Instagram post, and paid tribute to her in a moving statement. “We are shattered by the loss of our beloved bandmate, sister and friend Jennifer Finch, whose fierce spirit, humor and boundless creativity helped shape L7 and changed all of our lives forever,” it read. “Jennifer was a true original who lived entirely on her own terms, and the impact she made on music, art and everyone lucky enough to know her cannot be measured. We love her beyond words and will carry her with us always. Rest in power our dear friend.” News follows the announcement that Finch was undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Due to Finch’s diagnosis and treatment, she dropped out of the upcoming US leg of L7’s ‘Last Hurrah Tour’, which had been scheduled when she was in good health. At the time, she had asked her bandmates to continue as planned. Finch was a core member of their classic line-up, joining the group in 1987 and anchoring their guitar-heavy sound with a bass she once described as “a response, not an initiation”. “Sometimes in life we respond and sometimes we initiate. Bass is the opportunity to respond between the rhythm, tone and progression,” she told Guitar World in 2025. Alongside Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Dee Plakas, Finch helped define L7’s blend of humour and searing political commentary. In her creative work outside of music, Finch was also a photographer, writer and visual artist, building a multidisciplinary practice that reflected the same raw, self-directed spirit she brought to music. She played in two additional bands, OtherStarPeople and the Shocker, and launched her own label, Little Pusher Records. In 2015, L7 reunited with their classic line-up after splitting up in 2001. Later, in 2017, they released their first material in 18 years – in the form of anti-Trump track ‘Dispatch From Mar-A-Lago’. It was followed by ‘I Came Back To Bitch’ back in February. The ’90s cult icons also released the documentary, L7: Pretend We’re Not Dead, which was nominated for a VO5 NME Award in 2018, and released their latest album ‘Scatter the Rats’ the following year. A GoFundMe was previously launched by friends and family to cover the costs associated with her treatment and recovery, and to support efforts to create an archive of Finch’s work and complete what’s described as “a significant creative project” that was scheduled for release next year. When the sad announcement was made about her diagnosis, numerous artists came together to raise awareness for the GoFundMe page. As well as Garbage – who described the bassist as “such a special soul and needs serious medical care” – R.E.M‘s Michael Stipe also got involved, as did Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, Brian “Head” Welch from KoRn, Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna and Adrienne Armstrong, and more.