“This post is the hardest for us to write because we have so many things to say,” her children wrote. “Mom peacefully crossed over from this world to the next on January 23, 2024.”
To honor their mother, they asked fans to light a candle on Wednesday at 10 p.m. Central time.
“She was one of the smartest, bravest, and most passionate women of her time, and it showed in everything she wrote and sang,” they wrote. “Without her, our world is much darker, but we know she is still here, smiling down at us from the stars.”
Melanie, born in Astoria, New York, on February 3, 1947, was working on a new album of cover songs titled Second Hand Smoke, which would have been her 32nd album.
She gained fame after performing at Woodstock in 1969. Reflecting on the experience in a 2019 interview with the AP, Melanie said she was nervous about performing in front of such a large crowd. “The fear kept building up in me,” she said. “It scared me to think about performing in front of all those people on that big stage by myself.”
Melanie began her music career by performing in Greenwich Village’s coffee shops and folk clubs while studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1967, she met Peter Schekeryk, who became her manager, producer, and husband.
Her big break came with the release of her first album by Buddah Records after she left Columbia Records. “Lay Down” was her first major U.S. hit, followed by “Peace Will Come,” “What Have They Done to My Song Ma,” “The Nickel Song,” and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday.” In 1971, Billboard named her the best-selling female artist in the U.S.
Melanie made history by founding her own record label, Neighborhood Records, the first independent rock label owned by a woman. The label’s first release was the world-renowned single “Brand New Key,” which gained renewed attention through a commercial for HP printers.
Throughout her career, Melanie remained active in music and philanthropy, becoming a UNICEF spokesperson and continuing to perform live with her children. She recorded and produced shows of their home concerts for the Internet after her husband’s passing in 2010.
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