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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Stephanie Cockroft

Kim Shattuck death: Co-founder and lead singer of punk band The Muffs dies aged 56

Kim Shattuck at the CBGB Music & Film Festival in New York in 2014 (Picture: Anna Webber/Getty)

Kim Shattuck, the co-founder and lead singer of punk band The Muffs, has died at the age of 56.

Shattuck, who also contributed to bands the Pixies and NOFX, died two years after being diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease ALS.

Her husband Kevin Sutherland announced the news on social media in a post that was later shared by her bandmates.

He said: "This morning, the love of my life passed peacefully in her sleep after a two-year struggle with ALS.

View this post on Instagram

My heart is forever broken

A post shared by Melanie Vammen (@melanievammen) on

"I am the man I am today because of her. She will live with all of us through her music, our shared memories and in her fierce, creative spirit."

Shattuck co-founded The Muffs in Southern California in 1991.

The band was known for hits including Lucky Guy and Sad Tomorrow, as well as their cover of Kim Wilde's Kids In America, which featured on the soundtrack of 1995 comedy Clueless.

The Muffs' surviving members Roy McDonald and Ronnie Barnett said in a statement: "We are very sorry to announce the passing of our bandmate and dear friend Kim Shattuck.

"Besides being a brilliant songwriter, rocking guitarist and singer/screamer extrordinaire (sic), Kim was a true force of nature. While battling ALS Kim produced our last album, overseeing every part of the record from tracking to artwork.

"She was our best friend and playing her songs was an honour. Goodbye Kimba. We love you more than we could ever say."

Shattuck's death comes weeks before The Muffs were due to release No Holiday, their first album in five years.

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