Photo: Press
Signe Toly Anderson, original vocalist and founding member of Jefferson Airplane, has died at the age of 74.
In a somewhat extraordinary and tragic coincidence, it's been revealed that Anderson - who had been suffering from a series of health problems - died on the same day as her former bandmate Paul Kantner.
In a statement, Jefferson Airplane co-founder Marty Balin wrote, "One sweet Lady has passed on. I imagine that she and Paul woke up in heaven and said 'Hey what are you doing here? Let's start a band'."
Already a well-respected jazz and folk singer, Anderson joined Jefferson Airplane in 1965, and sang on the group's first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, including the hit song 'Chauffeur Blues'.
She left the band a year later for several reasons, including her mistrust of the band's manager Matthew Katz and the difficulty of bringing her newborn child on the road. She was replaced by Grace Slick, who wrote and performed songs for the band's biggest album, Surrealistic Pillow.
Anderson continued to perform live for almost a decade with Carl Smith And The Natural Gas Company, but her career was frequently marred by serious health problems.
