"It is with great regret and deep sadness that I must announce the death
of Mary. We will all miss her dearly."
Martin Pike, for Stereolab
"Mary Hansen, singer and guitarist for the experimental pop group
Stereolab, died on Monday
after being struck by a car while riding her bicycle in London. Martin
Pike, co-owner of
Stereolab's Duophonic Super 45's imprint with Tim Gane and Laetitia
Sadier, was extremely
saddened by the loss when we spoke with him via telephone this morning.
"It's incredibly tragic," said Pike. "We're all going to miss her.
It's just a bit too soon. Even though it happened on Monday, all of us
only [recently] found out. We're all still very numbed by it all." The
band's official statement reads: "The suddenness of her death has
shocked the band. Mary was a special person. Our thoughts are with her
family and friends who will miss her greatly."
Hansen, originally from near Brisbane, Australia, joined Stereolab in
1992 after the release of "Peng!". She also contributed vocals to bands such as Moonshake and The
Wolfhounds, and made appearances on releases by Mouse on Mars, Brokeback, and the High
Llamas, whose Sean O'Hagan has been responsible for brass and string arrangements on
many a Stereolab LP. Mary Hansen was 36."
Posted on Dec 14, 2002, 1:29 AM from IP address 195.92.67.69