L7 bassist JENNIFER FINCH dead at 59
20-07-2026
L7 bassist Jennifer Finch has died after a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was 59 years old.
Jennifer‘s passing was announced earlier today (Saturday, July 18) by her bandmates. They wrote in a statement on social media: “With a very heavy heart we announce that our beloved bandmate, friend, and fellow troublemaker Jennifer Finch has passed away today. She had a long courageous fight with brain cancer and was loved by many wonderful friends, musical peers and fans worldwide.”
They added: “We are shattered by the loss of our beloved bandmate, sister and friend, whose fierce spirit, humor and boundless creativity helped shape L7 and changed all of our lives forever.
“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.
“With love, L7“.
After Finch revealed her cancer diagnosis and dropped out of the band’s final tour on July 13, a GoFundMe campaign raised over $375,000 to pay for in-home nursing care, medical equipment, physical and speech therapy, home-care expenses and to help finish a “creative project” that was due in 2027.
Several of Finch‘s music industry peers donated to the campaign, including BAD RELIGION guitarist and Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz and his wife Gina ($10,000),GARBAGE ($8,000),BIKINI KILL singer Kathleen Hanna ($5,000),Sub Pop Records ($5,000),PEARL JAM bassist Jeff Ament ($5,000),GREEN DAY singer Billie Joe Armstrong‘s wife Adrienne Armstrong ($5,000),TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan ($2,500),Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman ($2,500),KORN guitarist Brian “Head” Welch ($1,000) and FUGAZI‘s Guy Picciotto ($1,000).
Earlier in the month, L7 noted that the band’s final tour, “The Last Hurrah Tour”, “was planned along with Jennifer when all four of us were in good health and spirits,” and that Finch had to drop out amid her cancer diagnosis. However, she had asked the band to continue the tour without her. Jennifer will be temporarily replaced at these concerts by Tsuzumi Okai, who was previously a touring bassist for LIMP BIZKIT in 2018.
“We will honor her request while making her care and well-being our immediate priority,” they wrote, before concluding: “We love her, and we want her to feel the full strength of the community that has loved and supported her for so many years.”
L7 has previously announced “The Last Hurrah Tour”, detailing the first leg of the band’s final world tour which will kick off in the U.S. on October 9.
The legendary feminist rockers have commanded fans to their feet and their ballot box for four decades with an effortless blend of punk ethos, heavy grunge, melody, socio-political anthems and humor. They are thrilled to connect with fans globally one last time. The exciting run will include stops in New York City, Washington D.C., Nashville, Chicago, Seattle and much more, wrapping up with a hometown celebration in Los Angeles. Fans around the world should stay tuned for more dates to announce in the coming months.
L7‘s Donita Sparks shares: “When L7 decided to release a documentary in 2015, we thought maybe we would take one last victory lap around the sun by playing some shows. Instead, that lap turned into eleven more years of touring, sweat, new music, and reconnecting with the fans who made this all possible in the first place.
“Looking out into the crowd seeing longtime supporters rocking out next to a new generation of L7 fans has been the most powerful and humbling part of this chapter,” she adds.
“We are deeply grateful and ready to give our audiences one last, loud, fun, and hopefully unforgettable night of rock and roll.”
Tour dates:
Spring/summer
June 4 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Amphitheatre (w/ AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS)
June 5 – Montreal, QC @ Place Bell (w/ AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS)
June 17 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre (w/ AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS)
July 12 – Lille, Belgium @ Sjock Festival 2026
August 29 – Ontario, CA @ Toyota Arena
Fall
October 9 – Phoenix, AZ @ Walter Studio
October 12 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
October 13 – Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
October 14 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston
October 16 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Hall
October 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Heaven at The Masquerade
October 19 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
October 21 – Washington, DC @ The Howard Theatre
October 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
October 24 – New York, NY @ Knockdown Center
October 26 – Boston, MA @ The Wilbur
October 27 – Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron
October 31 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
November 1 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre
November 3 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
November 4 – Kansas City, MO @ Warehouse on Broadway
November 6 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
November 7 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
November 10 – Seattle WA @ The Showbox
November 11 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
November 13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
November 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Formed in 1985, L7 went on indefinite hiatus in 2001. A 2015 reunion tour was followed by the documentary “L7: Pretend We’re Dead” in 2016.
L7‘s first album in 20 years, “Scatter The Rats”, was released in May 2019 via Joan Jett‘s Blackheart Records. At the time, Sparks told the Asbury Park Press that new music was never part of the reunion strategy. “New music was not in the plan at all,” she said. “We just got together to do reunion shows, and that just really kind of took off and we wanted to keep playing shows, we really enjoyed connecting with our fans again.
“Playing rock is fun and we hadn’t done it in a long time and we realized, ‘Wow, this is really fun again,’ so we thought, ‘If we want to keep doing this, we should put out new music.’ And we felt we still had stuff to say and still wanted to express ourselves with new stuff.”
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