The Grateful Dead's lead singer, Donna Jean Godchaux, passed away on November 02 in Nashville. The singer was 78 years old.Donna joined the band in 1971 with her husband, Keith Gochaux. Keith used to play the keyboard while Donna Jean used to sing. She met pianist Keith Godchaux in San Francisco after moving there from the South in 1970. The two also released an album titled Keith and Donna in 1975.Donna and Keith exited the band in 1979. According to The Guardian, the two decided to leave The Grateful Dead in the hopes of forming their own band. Unfortunately, Keith passed away in an automobile accident the next year after sustaining major injuries. After his demise, Donna married David MacKay in 1981. She continued her music career after that."Keith and I knew that we needed to get out of it." "How can one escape the Grateful Dead? My son was four years old. We were both very worn out. We weren't fired or forced to quit. It was both." Donna told San Francisco ChronicleAbout Donna Jean Godchaux's demiseDonna Jean Godchaux's demise was confirmed by her representative, Dennis McNally. McNally confirmed in a statement that Godchaux passed away at the age of 78 at a hospice facility after a 'long fight with cancer.'“She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss. The family requests privacy at this time of grieving. In the words of Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, ‘May the four winds blow her safely home.’” Read McNally's statement.Following the news of her demise, the band 'The Grateful Dead' took to social media to pay tribute to the late singer.“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of Donna Jean Godchaux. Her unmistakable voice and radiant spirit touched the lives of countless fans and immeasurably enriched the Grateful Dead family,” wrote the band. View this post on Instagram Instagram Post“Her contributions will forever remain part of the tapestry that continues to be woven. We send our deepest condolences to her loved ones and ask for privacy for her family during this time.” the band continued.Her loss comes after Phil Lesh, the founding bassist of the Grateful Dead, passed away in October of last year at the age of 84. To commemorate the Dead's 60th anniversary, Dead & Company, which included band alumni Mickey Hart and Bob Weir, among others, performed three sold-out shows in San Francisco in August.About Donna Jean GodchauxDonna Jean Godchaux was born in Florence. She began as a teenage studio singer at a nearby studio in Muscle Shoals.Her voice was already a part of music history before she joined the Grateful Dead. Godchaux sang backing vocals for Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds and In the Ghetto, as well as Percy Sledge's When a Man Loves a Woman. She has provided vocals for records by artists such as Boz Scaggs, Neil Diamond, and Cher.At the suggestion of other coworkers, she went to a local Dead show and then went up to Jerry Garcia. After becoming a part of the band, her voice was heard in the band's major albums, such as Wake of the Flood, Terrapin Station, and Europe '72.From the band's iconic 1977 Cornell University concert to the Dead's bizarre concerts at Egypt's Giza pyramids the following year, the couple appeared at some of the band's most iconic performances.