“She has left an indelible mark on the word and an unfillable chasm in our hearts”: Teenage prodigy Nell Smith dies, aged 17

Nell Smith performs with The Flaming Lips at Friars Aylesbury at the Waterside Theatre on May 30, 2022.

Sad news from British Columbia in Canada. Nell Smith, the teenage prodigy who has worked with the Flaming Lips and was set to release her debut album on Bella Union in the New Year, has died. She was just 17.

The news was first announced by Bella Union label boss Simon Raymonde, on an Instagram post: “We are all shocked and devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic passing of our artist and dear friend Nell Smith, over the weekend in British Columbia,” Raymonde wrote.