R.I.P. Kim Shattuck of The Muffs

The Muffs guitarist and vocalist Kim Shattuck has passed away after a two-year battle with ALS. She was 56.

Born in 1963, Shattuck spent most of her life as a fixture of Los Angeles after joining The Pandoras as a bassist in 1985. Conflict arose in the band due to the removal of keyboardist Melanie Vammen. Coupled with two canceled international tours, Shattuck opted to leave the band of her own volition in 1990. In 1991, she and Vammen would reunite to form The Muffs.

The band put out a slew of singles on Sub Pop and Sympathy for the Music Industry before attracting major label interest from Warner Bros Records, who would put out the band’s self-titled debut. Shattuck’s infectious, vibrant melodies juxtaposed against their brash punk arrangements were a winning combination, carrying the band through three records on the major label and its subsidiary Reprise. The band had a mainstream breakthrough moment with their cover of Kim Wilde’s “Kids In America” for the soundtrack to the comedy classic Clueless.

The Muffs continued to be active through the next subsequent decades – the band’s seventh album No Holiday is slated to release on Oct. 18 of this year on Omnivore Records. Shattuck was prolific outside of The Muffs as well, performing with bands The Beards, The Coolies, and a brief touring stint in 2013 with Pixies.

As we remember Shattuck’s life and work, revisit some of our favorite Muffs songs below.