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Longtime member of the indie rock band Low, Mimi Parker recently passed away on November 5 at the age of 55. She died following a long battle with ovarian cancer.
Her husband and bandmate Alan Sparhawk revealed the sad news. The band also paid tribute to her on Instagram and wrote:
“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. – Alan”
Low was initially a trio from 1993 to 2020 and had four different bassists in all these years. Mimi was a member since the time the band was formed.
Mimi Parker was diagnosed with cancer in 2020
Mimi Parker passed away on Saturday from ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease back in 2020. She even spoke about it earlier this year during an appearance on the Sheroes Radio podcast and stated that when people are diagnosed with such problems, they ask themselves why it had to be them.
Stating that she never asked the same questions herself since this happened randomly, she continued:
“Our time can be cut short and what do we do with that time that we have. We try to make each day mean something.”
The band canceled a few shows in Europe in August 2022 so that Parker could undergo treatment and announced last month that the European tour had been entirely canceled.
While announcing the news on social media, the band wrote that recent developments and changes in treatment have made extensive travel impossible. They continued:
“Our hope is that she will respond to new treatments and be able to play the shows we have scheduled for the fall, including the Water is Life festival in Duluth on September 4. We are very sorry for the inconvenience of ticket shuffling and travel expenses/changes. We welcome your positive hopes/prayers as we hope and pray for you all. Thank you, peace. – Low.”
Mimi Parker was a drummer, vocalist, and composer for Low
Mimi Parker was born and raised in Minnesota and grew up in a musical family. Mimi’s mother was a country singer. While speaking to Terry Gross in an interview with Fresh Air in 2005, she said that her role was to come up with harmonies because she and her sister used to sing the lead.
Mimi said that she learned how to listen from the beginning and came up with harmonies. She was a member of her high school marching band where she used to play drums.
Mimi Parker met Alan Sparhawk in fourth grade and they started dating when they were in junior high school. The pair tied the knot a few years later and Alan formed Low with bassist John Nichols. Speaking to NPR last year, Parker said:
“Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the marriage, for the family … we never would have survived this long as a band.”
Low’s first album, I Could Live in Hope, was released in 1994 and they continued their successful journey with albums like Long Division, I Could Live in Hope, Secret Name, Kranky, Trust, and more.
Netizens pay tribute on Twitter
Mimi Parker became popular over the years as a member of Low. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about her demise:
Parker’s survivors include her husband Alan and their two kids.
