Mimi Parker, drummer, vocalist and songwriter for the Minnesota indie band Low, has died, her husband and bandmate Alan Sparhawk has said. Parker was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2020. She was thought to be 54 or 55 years old.
The band shared the news on social media. “Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but She passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours. Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most important thing.”
The news follows the cancellation of a string of live shows due to concerns related to Parker’s health. After a diagnosis in late 2020, Parker began treatment for ovarian cancer in 2021, and publicly revealed her health status in a podcast interview at the start of 2022.
Many of the band’s peers paid tribute online. “I heard the news in the most base circumstances, surrounded by degenerates, stuck and cursing, in a conference room in Deerfield,” wrote producer Steve Albini. “I was momentarily overwhelmed, the sound of her voice resonant in my memory, beautiful and heartbreaking. Godspeed Mimi Parker. Requiescat.”
Beak>, the Bristol trio led by Geoff Barrow, also of Portishead, said: “We can’t express how saddened we are of this news. Mimi & Alan have created some of the greatest music of our time and to have spent time with them was a very humbling experience for us. A beautiful couple. Our thoughts are with Alan and their family.”
Parker was born in 1967 and grew up in a small town outside of Bemidji, Minnesota. She began experimenting with music from a young age, coming up with harmonies to complement her sister’s guitar and leads. The pair sang along to the old country and gospel records introduced to them by their parents.
Her husband, Low frontman Alan Sparhawk, confirmed the news on Twitter, “Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but… She passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours. Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most important thing.”
In recent months, Low have had to cancel many tour dates while Parker underwent ovarian cancer treatment. “There have been difficult days, but your love has sustained us and will continue to lift us through this time,” Sparhawk wrote in an Instagram message to fans on Oct. 7. Parker said she had been diagnosed with cancer in Dec. 2020.
Parker and Sparhawk, a married couple that surprised reporters by talking about how they were Mormon, formed Low in Duluth, Minneosta in 1993. A number of bassists have rounded out the trio, which was initially renowned for how slowly they played. Their inspirations, according to a 1995 Billboard interview with Sparhawk, were “Eno, Joy Division, and the boredom of living in Duluth.”
After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2020, Parker began treatment the following year and revealed her condition while she was interviewed during a podcast in early 2022, according to The Guardian.
Parker and Sparhawk formed Low in Duluth in 1993, according to Rolling Stone. A number of bassists have rounded out the trio, which was initially famous for its slow-playing pace. In a 1995 interview with Billboard, Sparhawk said the couple’s inspiration was “(Brian) Eno, Joy Division, and the boredom of living in Duluth.”
Their debut album, 1994′s “I Can Live in Hope,” featured a 10-minute song, “Lullaby,” Rolling Stone reported.
The band became known for its 1999 cover of “Little Drummer Boy,” which was featured in a Gap ad in 2001, according to the magazine.
Low hit the pop charts in 2007 with “Drums and Guns.”
Parker was born in 1967 and grew up in a small town outside of Bemidji, Minnesota, according to The Guardian. She met Sparhawk, where they both attended elementary school. They later formed Low with bassist John Nichols.