Keyboardist and co-founding member of the New York rap-rock group Luscious Jackson, Vivian Trimble died on Tuesday, April 4 at the age of 59. Surviving Luscious Jackson members Jill Cunniff, Gabby Glaser and Kate Schellenbach shared the passing on social media, saying, “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved friend and band member Viv on Tuesday. She had been in treatment for cancer for several years and developed a complication on Monday. We were not expecting this. She was a great friend and a gifted musician and choreographer, but it was being a partner to David and a mother to Nate and Rebecca that gave her the greatest joy. We are devastated beyond words to lose our graceful sister.”
Born on May 24, 1963, Vivian Elizabeth Trimble was born to musician parents and raised between the United States and France. She attended Oberlin College before moving to New York where she taught GED classes. There she met Cunniff in 1991 who had formed Luscious Jackson along with longtime friend Glaser and early Beastie Boys member Schellenbach. Trimble joined shortly after the band signed with Grand Royal Records in 1993.
Luscious Jackson became extremely popular in mid-’90s. The band gained significant airplay on MTV, as well as performing on shows such as Saturday Night Live and Viva Variety. Their biggest hit was “Naked Eye,” the first single from their 1996 album Fever In Fever Out. The song reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album became certified gold. Trimble also had an acoustic-focused side project with Cunniff called Kostars.
Trimble left Luscious Jackson in 1998 preceding the formation of Dusty Trails with former Breeders bassist Josephine Wiggs. The duo released their one and only album in 2000, featuring guest vocals from Emmylou Harris.
Trimble is survived by her husband David and their children Nathaniel and Rebecca. (Consequence)
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