The Texas Department of Public Safety said Lyn was pronounced dead after being involved in a crash between two vehicles near the city of El Paso on Friday.

Laura Lynch, a founding member of the US country music band “The Dixie Chicks”, was killed in a head-on car crash on a Texas highway, police said on Saturday. She was 65.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said she died after being involved in a crash between two vehicles near the city of El Paso on Friday.

Lynch was at the wheel of her vehicle travelling eastbound on US 62 when another car driving in the opposite direction attempted to pass a vehicle on a two-way undivided portion of the highway, officials added.

The vehicle crashed into Lynch’s Ford truck, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The other vehicle caught on fire and the driver was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch,” the band, which renamed itself “The Chicks” in 2020, wrote in a statement on social media.

“We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing and travelling together. Laura was a bright light...her infectious energy and humour gave a spark to the early days of our band,” the band members added.

“Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band. Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West.”

Lynch co-founded the popular group in 1989 in Dallas, Texas, along with Robin Lynn Macy (vocalist and guitarist) and the multi-instrumental sisters Martie and Emily Erwin.

She was the Dixie Chick’s bassist and at one point the main vocalist. The band members were performing country and bluegrass music at various festivals and venues, and were also often busking.

Lynch recorded three albums with the group before deciding to leave in 1995. Natalie Maines replaced her in the band.