Bassist for ’90s grunge icon to miss farewell tour after brain cancer diagnosis

Jennifer Finch, the longtime bassist for L7, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and will miss the influential ‘90s rock band’s farewell tour, including a stop in San Francisco.

The band announced Finch’s diagnosis Monday, July 13, saying that complications had led to multiple surgeries and left her needing extensive medical care, rehabilitation and professional support at home.

L7 plans to continue its Last Hurrah Tour at Finch’s request. The band is scheduled to perform Nov. 13, at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco.

“The Last Hurrah Tour was planned along with Jennifer when all four of us were in good health and spirits,” the band said in a statement. “Although she will not be able to join us for the upcoming U.S. dates, Jennifer has asked us to continue with the tour as planned.”

A GoFundMe campaign organized by Finch’s friends and family says doctors initially believed radiation and other treatment could return her to “some version of normal living.” Unforeseen complications, however, resulted in several operations and significant physical limitations, according to the campaign.

Fundraising organizers said Finch’s care needs have grown beyond what friends and relatives can safely provide around the clock. Money raised through the campaign is intended to pay for professional in-home nursing, physical and speech therapy, medical equipment and other care. 

Organizers also hope to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses and legal fees, create an archive of Finch’s artistic work and finish a creative project that had been planned for release next year.

“We are all devastated by the news and are surrounding her with love, protecting her privacy and dignity, while helping raise the resources she urgently needs for the care ahead,” L7 singer and guitarist Donita Sparks said in a statement. “Jennifer is family, and we want her to feel the full strength of the community that has loved and supported her for so many years.”

Finch attended San Francisco State University and played bass in Sugar Babydoll, a short-lived mid-1980s Bay Area band that also included future Hole singer Courtney Love and future Babes in Toyland frontwoman Kat Bjelland.

Finch joined L7 in 1986 and played during the Los Angeles band’s commercial breakthrough in the early 1990s. Its best-known recordings include “Pretend We’re Dead,” “S—list” and “Everglade.”

She left L7 in 1996 and later performed with OtherStarPeople and the Shocker while also working as a photographer, writer and graphic designer. 

Finch returned to the band when L7 reunited in the mid-2010s and appeared on its 2019 album, “Scatter the Rats.”

The Last Hurrah has been billed as L7’s farewell tour following more than a decade of performances after the reunion. Its North American itinerary runs through the fall and concludes with a show on Nov. 14, in Los Angeles.

The band has not announced who will replace Finch on bass.

“We will honor her request while making her care and well-being our immediate priority,” L7 said.