Lynn Blakey, one of the most beloved singers North Carolina ever produced, died February 6 at UNC-Chapel Hill Hospital. The cause of death was complications of metastatic cancer, and her husband of 19 years, Ecki Heins, was with her at the end. She was 63.
Among many other things, Blakey was one of the most wonderful characters this or any other musical community ever produced. She was, in the words of her Tres Chicas bandmate Sara Bell, “like everybody’s cool older sister.”
“We all thought we’d have a lot more time with her,” Bell said.
Those who knew Blakey speak of her kindness, beauty, and optimism, and the way she lit up any room she was in. All true. She was like a sun that never set, and a tireless warrior—an activist with North Carolina Love Army, and unofficial advisor to friends trying to negotiate the intricacies of the Affordable Care Act.
A spectacular vocalist and terrific songwriter, Blakey played in North Carolina and Athens, Ga., bands including Oh-Ok with Lynda Stipe, Let’s Active with Mitch Easter, Tres Chicas with Caitlin Cary and Tonya Lamm, and most recently, the indie-rock supergroup Salt Collective. She was our scene’s Emmylou Harris, blessing scores of recordings with her voice for the ages.
She also might have been the best muse indie-rock ever had, the inspiration for songs including Chris Stamey’s “Something Came Over Me” and, most famously, The Replacements’ 1985 indie-rock anthem “Left of the Dial.”
“Anybody Lynn ever met immediately realized what a bright shining star she was,” said her Tres Chicas bandmate Lamm. “Not like a rock or movie star, but a brilliant light of kindness, happiness, and depth. A living angel. I can still hear her laugh and will hold that in my heart forever.”
Blakey’s musical life began four decades ago at UNC-Greensboro, where she was a college radio deejay and avid concert-goer. When R.E.M. played Friday’s in Greensboro for the first time in 1981, she was one of perhaps 20 people in the room.
Inspired, she began playing in bands herself, among them Broken Crayons and Holiday with Linda Hopper. In 1983, she left school and toured with Let’s Active, eventually landing back in Chapel Hill and leading a series of great bands over the years.
“All I ever had to do was put a mic in front of her, and maybe yell at her a little,” said Stamey, who frequently recorded Blakey. “The first take would always have magic in it. To us, she was family, even singing some of the Tres Chicas album with everyone around one mic while holding our young daughter in her arms.”
Even more than her musical peaks, what all her friends seem to remember most now are the offstage moments.
“She means a lot to me, one of the most beautiful humans I ever met,” said Alejandro Escovedo, a regular duet partner. “She’d always give me cool advice about my romantic disasters, which she seemed to find amusing. And what a singer. The voice can reflect a person’s inner soul when someone has a voice like hers, so beautiful and clear and angelic.”
That bell-clear voice was both versatile and powerful, handling pop as well as spirituals and even classical. She was a cantor at Chapel Hill’s St. Thomas More Catholic Church for a decade, and recorded Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” for a 2018 Christmas album.
After her first cancer diagnosis in 2022, Blakey initially responded well to surgery and chemotherapy. By 2024, she had recovered enough to re-enroll at UNC-Greensboro, majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies.
“Nothing was ever more of a perfect subject than that was for her,” said Cary. “She was ready to do another chapter in her life and was really gung-ho about it, making straight A’s.”
But her cancer returned in February 2025, the same month Heins was diagnosed with colon cancer. His treatment continues (including more chemotherapy the week of Blakey’s death), and he is currently stable. A GoFundMe organized by friends during Blakey’s illness is ongoing for Heins.
Escovedo headlined a benefit show for the couple last June at Cat’s Cradle, when there still seemed reason for optimism. But her condition worsened as the year went on. She went into hospice three days before her death.
“It was the right thing to do, if hard because we’re both strong believers in modern medicine,” said Heins. “We were going to use every available option. But the terrible decision was the right decision.”
Arrangements for a funeral service at St. Thomas More and a celebration of life are still pending.
“Every time I saw her, it was special,” said Easter. “I always loved Lynn, and I suspect if you knew her, you did too.”
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