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Grateful Dead Vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay Dies at 78

11/3/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, longtime Grateful Dead vocalist (1971–1979), died on November 2, 2025, at age 78 after a battle with cancer.
Born in Florence, Alabama, she began as a session singer and contributed to Percy Sledge's 'When a Man Loves a Woman'.
She joined the Grateful Dead with her husband, and after his death in 1980, remarried, continued recording, and released last album in 2014, with family requesting privacy.

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Story summary

Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, longtime Grateful Dead vocalist (1971–1979), died on November 2, 2025, at age 78 after a battle with cancer.
Born in Florence, Alabama, she began as a session singer and contributed to Percy Sledge's 'When a Man Loves a Woman'.
She joined the Grateful Dead with her husband, and after his death in 1980, remarried, continued recording, and released last album in 2014, with family requesting privacy.