Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, best known as Elvis Presley’s backup singer on “Suspicious Minds” and the only woman to perform as a full member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78.
She passed away Sunday at Alive Hospice in Nashville after a long battle with cancer. Her family shared, “She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all who knew her feel this loss deeply.”
A celebrated voice in rock history, Godchaux-MacKay joined the Grateful Dead in 1972 and became known for her soulful harmonies during the band’s most experimental years. Her collaboration with Elvis and later with the Dead made her a unique bridge between two of music’s greatest legends.
Fans and fellow musicians mourn her loss, remembering her as a rare female presence in the male-dominated world of classic rock.
Her family closed their tribute with a line from lyricist Robert Hunter: “May the four winds blow her safely home.”
