Melanie dead: Glastonbury & Woodstock legend who sang Brand New Key dies aged 76 as family say ‘our world is dimmer’
AMERICAN singer Melanie Safka has died aged 76, her family have announced.
The folk musician, known for her song Brand New Key and her rendition of the Rolling Stones song, Ruby Tuesday, passed away "peacefully" on Tuesday.
Her death was also confirmed by her label, Cleopatra Records, through Glass Onyon PR.
In a Facebook post, Melanie's children: Leilah, Jeordie and Beau Jarred said: "We are heartbroken, but want to thank each and every one of you for the affection you have for our mother, and to tell you that she loved all of you so much.
"She was one of the most talented, strong and passionate women of the era and every word she wrote, every note she sang reflected that.
"Our world is much dimmer, the colours of a dreary, rainy Tennessee pale with her absence today, but we know that she is still here, smiling down on all of us, on all of you, from the stars."
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They also asked for her fans to light a candle for Melanie to "Illuminate the darkness, and let us all be connected in remembrance of the extraordinary woman who was wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to so very many people".
Details on her funeral will be announced in due course and the family have asked for privacy at this time.
Melanie was born in the Astoria neighbourhood of New York on February 3, 1947.
Melanie will forever be known for her 1971 hit Brand New Key - an otherworldly song of innocence and experience.
But Melanie told the Guardian in 2021: "It was the bane of my existence for a few years."
The Combine Harvester by The Wurzels is a parody of the song and reached number one in 1976.