Flaming Lips collaborator dies at 17

Nell Smith, the young Canadian singer who collaborated with the Flaming Lips, has died at the age of 17.

Her family confirmed the tragic news on Monday in an Instagram statement.

“It pains us so much to say that our feisty, talented, unique, beautiful daughter was cruelly taken from us on Saturday night,” began the statement, written by her family members Jude, Rachel, Jed and Ike.

“We are reeling from the news and don’t know what to do or say,” they continued. “She had so much more to experience and to give this world but we are grateful that she got to experience so very much in her 17 years. She has left an indelible mark on the world and an unfillable chasm in our hearts.”

“Hold your kids extra tight tonight and for now please leave us to work through things. We will shout when we need you,” the statement concluded.

Smith’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed by her family.

However, Flaming Lips front man Wayne Coyne claimed on Sunday at the rock band’s concert in Portland, Oregon, that Smith was killed in a car accident.

In fan footage from the show, Coyne, 63, said, “We have a very sad announcement to make tonight. We have a Canadian friend, her name is Nell. … We got some very sad messages today that she was killed in a car accident last night and we’re reminded once again of the power of music.”

Simon Raymonde, owner of the Bella Union record label that planned to release Smith’s debut album in 2025, also posted a moving tribute to the late star on Instagram.

“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, 62, wrote on behalf of Bella Union.

“Smith 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,” the statement went on.

“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.”

At age 12, Smith attended one of the Flaming Lips’ shows in 2018 and bonded with Coyne. She eventually worked with the band on “Where the Viaduct Looms,” a November 2021 cover album of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ music.

Cave, 67, praised Smith and her cover of “Girl in Amber” on The Red Hand Files in 2021, writing, “This version of Girl in Amber is just lovely, I was going to say Nell Smith inhabits the song, but that’s wrong, rather she vacates the song, in a way that I could never do.”

“Nell shows a remarkable understanding of the song, a sense of dispassion that is both beautiful and chilling. I just love it. I’m a fan,” the Australian musician added.

Smith created a Kickstarter fund-raising page last year to help fund her debut album. The page raised over $17,000 of its original $10,000 goal.

“I have always loved music and started writing some of the songs that will be on this album when I was 12, seeing them come to life is really exciting,” Smith wrote on the page.

She also said she hoped the album and a subsequent tour would “help fund my real dream which is to get to music school in the UK.”