2022 isn't even a month old and the music world has lost the force of nature that was Rachel Nagy, singer for the Detroit Cobras, whose death was announced by longtime musical collaborator Greg Cartwright.
While no cause of death was given, the Cobras had recently announced the postponement of numerous January shows due to a member of their crew testing positive for COVID-19.
Sadly, less than two weeks after that announcement, Nagy has passed away, bringing to an end one of rock's most-respected underground acts.
While Nagy's age has been listed at 37 in numerous articles about her passing, this would mean that Rachel began fronting the Detroit Cobras in 1994 at the age of nine, when, in one interview, Nagy mentioned reforming the band in 1996 at the age of 22 and taking it much more seriously than she and longtime musical partner Mary Ramirez had during the original incarnation of the band, which puts her actual age at 48.
We mention this only because those who claim to be longtime fans of the band, yet continue to publish tributes that read "Rachel Nagy 1984-2021", are proving themselves to be fair-weather fans at best and, at worst, just plain horrible at math when you consider the fact that the band was formed in 1994.
Regardless, at the end of the day, one of Detroit's most unique voices has been silenced at a time when those who shine the light on great lost soul songs of the 50s and 60s are needed more than ever.