By Steven J. Horowitz, Variety | Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, a vocalist for the Grateful Dead during the 1970s and backup singer for Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge, has died at the age of 78. Godchaux-MacKay passed away on Sunday [November 2nd ] after a lengthy struggle with cancer, according to a statement. She died at Alive Hospice in Nashville. “She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss,” the statement reads. “The family requests privacy at this time of grieving. In the words of Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, ‘May the four winds blow her safely home.’”
The singer was best known for her tenure with the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979 alongside her then-husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux. During that time, she appeared on seven of the band’s albums, bookended by the triple-record live set “Europe ‘72” and 1978’s disco-friendly “Shakedown Street,” providing gospel-influenced harmonies, as well as the occasional lead vocal on songs like “Sunrise” from 1977’s “Terrapin Station” and live covers of Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough” and the Dolly Parton-penned “Tomorrow is Forever.”
In addition to her tenure in groups including Keith and Donna Godchaux and the Heart of Gold Band, she performed on hits including Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” and also appeared on records from Cher, Boz Scaggs and Grateful co-founder Bob Weir.
Read more of Ms. Godchaux-MacKay’s life here:
https://variety.com/2025/music/news/donna-jean-godchaux-mackay-dead-vocalist-the-grateful-dead-1236568488/