Mimi Parker, one half of Minnesota indie rock group Low, has died at the age of 55 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December of 2020. The news was confirmed by Parker’s husband and bandmate, Alan Sparhawk. “Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message” Sparhawk wrote on social media.
“She passed away last night [5th November], surrounded by family and love, including yours,” Sparhawk said. “Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most important thing.”
Low’s Alan Sparhawk: “Love is indeed the most important thing”
Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but
She passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours. Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most important thing.
— LOW (@lowtheband) November 6, 2022
Born in 1967, Parker grew up in the city of Bemidji in northern Minnesota. She and Sparhawk met in primary school and began dating in high school. The couple eventually moved to the Minnesotan port city of Duluth, and – with Parker playing drums and Sparhawk on guitar – formed Low in 1993 alongside bass player John Nichols. He was the first in a long string of bassists the pair would perform with before officially becoming a duo in 2020.
Low’s 1994 debut album, I Could Live in Hope, introduced a songwriting style centred on unhurried tempos, sparse arrangements and Parker and Sparhawk’s sublime vocal harmonies – a contrast to the wave of fuzzed-out, aggressive grunge and alt-rock that dominated the airwaves at the time. Along with the likes of Codeine and Red House Painters, the band are considered (reluctant) pioneers of the “slowcore” genre.
Low went on to release 12 more studio albums over the next three decades. After releasing their first six albums through the independent labels Vernon Yard and Kranky, they signed with Sub Pop in the mid-2000s. The Great Destroyer, their first album for the label, arrived in 2005.
- Sparhawk and Parker performing together in 2011 | Image: Samuel Dietz/Redferns
Low worked with a range of producers throughout their career, including Dave Fridmann, Wilco‘s Jeff Tweedy and BJ Burton. The final album to be released in Parker’s lifetime was last year’s HEY WHAT – their first as a duo, following the exit of bassist Steve Garrington in 2020.
Parker was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late 2020, undergoing treatment throughout 2021 and disclosing her diagnosis during a podcast appearance earlier this year. The band cancelled a number of planned tour dates in 2022 due to concerns around Parker’s health.
News of Parker’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from the music world. Steve Albini, Geoff Barrow of Portishead, Mogwai‘s Stuart Braithwaite, Run the Jewels‘ El-P, Okkervil River‘s Will Sheff and Ben Watt of Everything But the Girl are among those who have remembered the drummer. She is survived by Sparhawk and their two children, Hollis and Cyrus.
LOW – ‘Days Like These’
Heartbroken by the
news of Mimi Parker's passing
Her Voice with Alan's often emotionally moved me unlike any other band
Their music together transcended all the
bullshit in the world and
I will treasure every time I saw them play live or said hello to her at a festival
Xx pic.twitter.com/ezxKm8gJ2p— ?☠️ Geoff Barrow ?☠️ (@jetfury) November 6, 2022
Mimi Parker’s voice had such depth and mystery – icy and opaque but also somehow warm and motherly, an uncannily perfect complement to Alan Sparhawk. And she had such presence onstage. She gifted Low with their extraordinarily powerful sense of gravity. Rest In Peace.
— Will Sheff (@okkervilriver) November 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/therealelp/status/1589322198312886274
Mimi Parker forever X https://t.co/GeSmTngvCd
— stuart braithwaite (@plasmatron) November 6, 2022
Just unbearably sad to hear of the death of Low's Mimi Parker. My heart goes out to Alan and their family. I feel honoured that our paths crossed more than once ?
— Ben Watt (@ben_watt) November 6, 2022
Forever Mimi Parker. So many moments in my life when I needed comfort, clarity, peace…her voice was a light that shined right to the dark spots and made everything brighter. All my love to @lowtheband
— Timothy Showalter (@Strandofoaks) November 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/maryannehobbs/status/1589293207149752320
I'm gutted to learn that Mimi Parker of LOW has passed. I'm sitting here, right now, finding balm and poise, as ever, in the flame of her voice singing the words "I need your grace". Love to her family, bandmates and friends. R.I.P. https://t.co/yUXDKUnkjs
— DREW DANIEL (@DDDrewDaniel) November 6, 2022
I heard the news in the most base circumstances, surrounded by degenerates, stuck and cursing, in a conference room in Deerfield. I was momentarily overwhelmed, the sound of her voice resonant in my memory, beautiful and heartbreaking. Godspeed Mimi Parker. Requiescat.
? https://t.co/U7gYp6HDFA— regular steve albini (@electricalWSOP) November 6, 2022
Absolutely wrecked hearing that Mimi Parker of Low has been stolen from us by cancer. My heart aches for Alan, their children, Duluth, all who ever heard her voice and drums. What a loss. https://t.co/H8QDm0bELi
— Andrea Swensson (@SlingshotAnnie) November 6, 2022
Further Reading
Listen To First Single From Mike Noga’s Posthumous Album ‘Open Fire’
