RIP: Infamous Recluse Q Lazzarus Best Known for “Goodbye Horses” Has Reportedly Died at Age 59

Mysterious disappearance have always fascinated music fans. Pink Floyd‘s Syd Barrett was one such case, and he remained anchored in his decision to stay off the grid until his death in 2006. Now, another mystery has been put to rest without much closure — New York singer Diane Luckey aka. Q Lazzarus, best known for her 1988 single “Goodbye Horses,” passed away on July 19 at the age of 59.

The above song played over an iconic scene in The Silence of the Lambs wherein serial killer Buffalo Bill in seen posing in front of a mirror with his penis tucked between his legs, saying that he would fuck himself. As disturbing as it may have been, the scene stuck with viewers and so did the music. Following this, as the track slowly became a cult classic, Q Lazzarus disappeared from the public eye for decades.

In 2018, Luckey contacted Dazed Digital journalist Thomas Gorton, letting him know that she had been driving a bus in Staten Island for years. Prior to her brief stint in the music business in the 80s, she used to drive a cab in New York City while leading her band, Q Lazzarus and the Resurrection. It was during her job that she happened to pick up Jonathan Demme, for whom she played her demo tape. Impressed with what he heard, Demme used Luckey’s song “Candle Goes Away” in his 1986 film Something Wild. After that, he used “Goodbye Horses,” the only single that Luckey ever released commercially, in two movies: Married to the Mob (1988) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). She even made a brief appearance in Demme’s next film, Philadelphia (1993) in a scene where she covered the Talking Heads’ 1979 song, “Heaven.” And that was the last we heard from her as an artist and performer.

After her exchange with Gorton three years ago, she never made a public appearance again. According to Stereogum, though a more detailed obituary notes the following: “At the time of her death, Diane was finishing work on a feature documentary about her life and music with filmmaker and friend, Eva Aridjis. The film will be released in 2023, along with an album of songs spanning her entire musical career.”