Linda LaFlamme was a musician and founding member of It’s a Beautiful Day, the San Francisco band with which she performed the 1960s anthem, “White Bird.”
- Died: October 23, 2024 (Who else died on October 23?)
- Details of death: Died in Harrisonburg, Virginia of vascular dementia at the age of 85.
- We invite you to share condolences for Linda LaFlamme in our Guest Book.
Linda LaFlamme’s legacy
LaFlamme was a classically trained keyboard player named Linda Sue Rudman when she moved to California in 1961. There, she met her future husband, violinist David LaFlamme (1941–2023), and the couple formed the band It’s a Beautiful Day in 1967. Their self-titled debut was released in 1969, led by the soaring anthem, “White Bird,” a six-minute psalm the LaFlammes co-wrote in part about their experience living in Seattle. The song, the band’s only Top-50 hit, has since become symbolic of the hippie era.
Their time together was short-lived. LaFlamme left both her husband and It’s a Beautiful Day not long after their self-titled debut album was released, and she pursued her own path in music. (David LaFlamme went on to marry another Linda, a singer who also joined the band, leading to It’s a Beautiful Day having two different Linda LaFlammes as members.)
LaFlamme followed her ‘60s work with two other bands, Titus’ Mother and A Thought in Passing, though neither had success. By the end of the ‘70s, she was composing music for theater companies in San Francisco and the Bay Area. LaFlamme also taught music. After the 1960s, she went by her Hebrew name, Neska.
Tributes to Linda LaFlamme
Full obituary: The New York Times
