British singer-songwriter Faye Fantarrow, whose debut EP was produced by Eurythmics star Dave Stewart, has died. Farrow passed away at her home on Saturday, Aug. 26 after being diagnosed with a rare glioma brain tumor. She had previously beaten childhood leukemia at ages 8 and 13 and was diagnosed with glioma last August while recording her debut EP, AWOL. She was 21.
“We are beyond grief. We are broken beyond repair. We are cast adrift, beyond despair. We are bereft of a love that outshone the stars, the moon, and the sun,” Fantarrow’s mother Pam confirmed her daughter’s death on social media on Aug. 31. “There is a gaping void in our lives that can never be filled, our beautiful, compassionate, intelligent and immensely talented girl has gone. Faye fought with a strength and bravery that kept her with those she so desperately loved and who loved her beyond compare.”
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Added Stewart, per Billboard, “Faye was a joy to be around, full of fun, laughter and sharp as a razor – a true artist in every sense. Being with her and watching her at work is a diamond stuck in my head, moments I will never forget. I’m lucky to have met Faye and her Mum Pam, two humans together battling against all odds for Faye’s survival. It has been both traumatic and beautiful to witness their strength and dignity and I am so sorry the world only got to witness Faye’s genius for such a short time. She is one of the true greats, a northern girl on fire with her lyrics and melodies. I loved her deeply.”
Born on April 28, 2002, Fantarrow was a rising star. She was named “One to Watch” by BBC Music Introducing, earned praise from publications including Clash, Rolling Stone, and Billboard magazines, and in 2021 received Alan Hull’s annual Songwriting Award. It was also in 2021 that Stewart signed Fantarrow, from his hometown of Sunderland, England, and they began working on an EP together. After Fantarrow was diagnosed with glioma while in the midst of recording her debut EP, the release date of AWOL was moved up to February through Bay Street Records.
Prior to her passing, Fantarrow raised more than £235,000 (almost $300,000) on Justgiving for an experimental treatment in California. Although she traveled to the U.S. for the first treatment, she was too sick to return for follow-up care. The extra money from the fund-raising campaign was “donated to a charity to fund further life-saving research in Faye’s memory,” her publicists said.
