Vivian Trimble, Luscious Jackson Keyboardist, Dead at 59

Vivian Trimble, the keyboardist and vocalist from the ’90s rock band Luscious Jackson, has died. In a statement shared Friday, the band announced that Trimble passed away on Tuesday, April 4 of cancer treatment complications. She was 59.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved friend and band member Viv on Tuesday,” the statement read. “We were not expecting this. She was a great friend and a gifted musician and choreographer, but it was being a partner to David and a mother to Nate and Rebecca that gave her the greatest joy. We are devastated beyond words to lose our graceful sister.”

Born to classical musicians and raised in France and the U.S., per Variety, Trimble attended Oberlin College and met fellow Luscious Jackson co-founder Jill Cunniff while they were both teaching GED adult education classes in New York in 1991. Cunniff had formed Luscious Jackson, named after an NBA player that amused them, with her longtime friend Gabrielle Glaser that same year, with Trimble joining in 1991 as keyboardist and vocalist. They were joined shortly after their formation by Kate Schellenbach on drums.

The band signed with the Beastie Boys’ now-defunct Grand Royal label before releasing their debut EP, “In Search of Manny,” in 1993. The band went on to release three albums, with their 1994 debut album, Natural Ingredients, quickly becoming an underground hit. It was followed by their sophomore album Fever In Fever Out in 1996. That album included the hit “Naked Eye,” which gave the group their first and only Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at No. 36) and Official U.K. Singles Chart top 40 appearances (peaking at No. 25 in 1997), per Billboard. The band’s other singles included “Deep Shag/Citysong,” “Here,” “Ladyfingers,” and “Love Is Here.” Trimble left the group in 1998 before 1999’s Electric Honey, the group’s final studio album before they briefly disbanded. She was not part of the group’s 2011 reunion.

In addition to her work with Luscious Jackson, Trimble and Cunniff also collaborated on the Kostars. The band released the 1996 Grand Royal album Klassic With a “K.” Trimble also had a duo with the Breeders’ Josephine Wiggs called Dusty Trails, who released a self-titled album in 2000. Throughout her career, Trimble performed at Lollapalooza and appeared on Saturday Night Live, MTV’s 120 Minutes, and more.