Folk icon Tucker Zimmerman dies, aged 84, in house fire with his wife
Folk musician Tucker Zimmerman has died in a house fire, aged 84. His wife, Marie-Claire Lambert, has also tragically died in the catastrophe.
The couple had been married for more than 50 years. They lived in the Belgian town of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, which is situated just outside the city of Liege.
News of their tragic deaths was broken by Belgian media on January 17th, who reported that an elderly retired couple had passed away due to a house fire. It was later confirmed to be Zimmerman and his wife via his management team on Instagram.
Zimmerman was born in San Francisco, but moved to Europe in the late 1960s, which saw him embark on a music career. He also met Tony Visconti, who produced his debut album, Ten Songs.
Following news of Zimmerman’s death, Visconti wrote on Facebook, “I just received tragic news from Quanah Zimmerman, the son of singer and songwriter Tucker Zimmerman. Tucker and his wonderful wife, Marie-Claire, perished in a house fire yesterday. I am stunned. I met Tucker and Marie-Claire in London, 1967.”
Visconti’s tribute continued, “Tucker was a master musician and songwriter from San Francisco. His songs were biting and revolutionary. I produced his first album, Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman.”
The producer then spoke about David Bowie’s love of Zimmerman, noting, “He was one of my oldest friends. David Bowie adored him.”
He then shared his memories of Zimmerman and Bowie, recalling, “Tucker played a set of his songs at the Three Tuns in Beckenham, Kent, and David gave him a proper psychedelic light show during David’s Arts Lab night. If you haven’t heard Tucker’s music, it was like a very dark version of Bob Dylan. I’m all choked up.”
Bowie once told Vanity Fair of his love of Zimmerman’s album, Ten Songs, claiming, “The guy’s way too qualified for folk, in my opinion. Degrees in theory and composition, studying under composer Henry Onderdonk, Fulbright scholarship, and he wants to be Dylan.”
Zimmerman released 16 albums over the course of his career. His final record, Dance of Love, arrived via 4AD in late 2024, which saw him team up with Big Thief. The unlikely collaboration was born after singer Adrianne Lenker heard his album, Square Dance, fell in love with his songwriting, and showed it to her bandmates, who were equally enamoured.
They served as his backing band on the record, which they also produced. At the time, Big Thief said of working with Zimmerman, “It was an extreme honor to make a record with one of the greatest songwriters of all time. I believe in this music with all of our hearts, and we hope it brings you joy.”
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