Full Breakdown
Missing Folk Icon: Linda Perhacs Disappears After Care-Facility Discharge
7/29/2026, 12:16:05 PM
Background & Context
Linda Perhacs (born September 21 1943 in Santa Monica, California) recorded the psychedelic-folk album Parallelograms in 1970 while working as a dental hygienist. The record was rediscovered in the late-1990s, leading to a revival that produced The Soul of All Natural Things (2014) and I’m a Harmony (2017), with collaborations from artists such as Julia Holter and producer Fernando Perdomo.
For eight years she lived in an assisted-living/memory-care facility in the San Fernando Valley, where she was treated for dementia. Friends say she was discharged “approximately eight months ago” under the supervision of an undisclosed legal guardian.
Timeline
| Date (as reported) | Event |
|---|---|
| June 6 | Missing-persons report filed with LAPD. |
| July 27 | Former manager Laurel Stearns, director Jessica Hundley, Julia Holter and Mark McNeill posted a joint Instagram appeal. |
| July 28 | Additional Instagram posts from friends, including Mark McNeill and Fernando Perdomo, noted that Adult Protective Services had been contacted. |
| ~Eight months ago | Perhacs left the care facility under a legal guardian’s supervision. |
Data & Statistics
- Age – Reported as 82 (most outlets) or 83 (Page Six, US Magazine).
- Years in care – Eight years before discharge.
- Discography – One debut album (1970) and two comeback albums (2014, 2017).
- Legal actions – One missing-persons report (June 6) and an Adult Protective Services case; friends have hired a private investigator.
Official Statements & Responses
“She’s safe and comfortable.” – Laurel Stearns, former manager
Mark McNeill, co-founder of Dublab, said repeated attempts to contact Perhacs’s guardian have gone unanswered.
Producer Fernando Perdomo explained that California law prevents the facility from disclosing her new address and that the next of kin has stopped responding to calls.
The Adult Protective Services program of Los Angeles County confirmed it cannot release individual information due to confidentiality laws but will intervene in cases of abuse, neglect, or unsafe conditions.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Age discrepancy – Sources differ on whether Perhacs is 82 or 83.
- Guardian identity – No outlet has disclosed the guardian’s name or the new residence address.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Since then, friends and longtime collaborators have been unable to reach her and repeated attempts to contact her guardian have reportedly gone unanswered.” — Mark McNeill, Dublab co-founder
- “The most important thing is that she’s safe and comfortable.” — Laurel Stearns, former manager
- “We’ve all been in touch with her since she’s been in a home for memory care, and we even performed with her two years ago for her 80th birthday party,” — Fernando Perdomo, record producer
- “so I gave her a call and found out that she had been moved out by her next of kin, and because of California law they can’t tell us where she is.” — Fernando Perdomo
The coordinated appeal by Perhacs’s former manager, collaborators, and producers reflects a community effort to locate a seminal figure whose music continues to influence folk and experimental artists. Law-enforcement and protective-services investigations are underway, but the lack of concrete details about her current location underscores the challenges of missing-person cases involving elderly individuals under guardianship. Friends request any verified information be directed to Stearns’s listed email address.
