On July 2, 2008, Queens of the Stone Age’s former keyboardist Natasha Shneider died of lung cancer at the age of 52. The news broke with a message posted on the MySpace page of the band Sweethead, of which Natasha’s close friend and former bandmate Troy Van Leeuwen is a member. The band’s homepage was updated with a memorial message by Homme replacing the normal front page. The band performed a concert in celebration of Natasha Shneider’s life at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on August 16, 2008. They were joined on stage by Shneider’s husband Alain Johannes, Tenacious D , Matt Cameron , Brody Dalle , Jesse Hughes , Chris Goss, and PJ Harvey , playing a variety of QOTSA and non-QOTSA songs, including covers of songs from bands such as Cream and The Doors . Tenacious D and Harvey also performed acoustic sets at the show. Proceeds from the concert went to defray the costs associated with Shneider’s treatment.
Natasha Shneider dies
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