Kate McGarrigle 1946-2010 R.I.P.

Canadian singer (and mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright) was acclaimed in the folk community since the ‘70s.

By Fred Mills

Beloved folks/roots singer and songwriter Kate McGarrigle (above, left) died yesterday, Jan. 18, following a battle with a rare form of cancer. She was 63.

Along with her sister Anna, Kate McGarrigle was one-half of the Canadian-based McGarrigle Sisters. The Quebec duo, who recorded albums in both French and English, got their start in the ‘60s and went on to acclaim starting in the ‘70s; their '76 debut Kate & Anna McGarrigle was hailed by the likes of Melody Maker and the New York Times as one of the best albums of that year. Over the years their songs were covered by everyone from Billy Bragg and Linda Ronstadt ("Heart Like A Wheel" became a huge hit for Ronstadt) to Emmylou Harris and Nick Cave (who famously had them join him on his 2001 album No More Shall We Part).

Kate was also the mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright from her previous marriage to Loudon Wainwright III.

According to Canada's CBC, "Reports that McGarrigle was critically ill surfaced over the weekend after her son, Rufus, cancelled his tour of Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to begin in February, to be with her."