close
close

The singer/songwriter and author of Zuzu’s Petals was 62

The singer/songwriter and author of Zuzu’s Petals was 62

Laurie Lindeen, who pioneered the grunge era as guitarist for indie rockers Zuzu’s Petals and later documented her experiences in a book, died Monday at the age of 62 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, of a brain aneurysm.

Lindeen moved here from Wisconsin in 1987 to join Minneapolis’s emerging music scene, where artists such as Prince, The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, The Jayhawks and Babes in Toyland were putting the city on the map.

Zuzu’s Petals, named after the rose petals worn by James Stewart’s character in the film It is a beautiful life, made a name for themselves as an all-female band in local clubs when that was still a novelty. With the help of Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, they recorded a four-song debut cassette.

The band later released two albums for Twin/Tone Records, 1992 When no one is watching and 1994 The music of your life.

Lindeen married Paul Westerberg of the Replacements and gradually retired from extensive touring, but still performed occasionally in clubs in Minneapolis. She concentrated on writing, producing Petal Pusher: A Rock’n’Roll Cinderella Story 2007 for Atria Books and an essay for the New York Times.

She earned a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Minnesota while raising her son, Johnny, with Westerberg.

In recent years, she has taught writing and literature classes at the University of St. Thomas, St. Cloud State University, the Loft Literary Center, and local elementary schools. She has also led writing seminars on Madeline Island in Wisconsin and elsewhere.

A recent article, My third actpublished by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, was about her move to Martha’s Vineyard with her new partner, Jim Diem.

In addition to her son and partner, she leaves behind her father, Lance Lindeen of Northville, Michigan, and three siblings, Megan Lindeen of Madison, Wisconsin, Hillary Benson of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Chris Lindeen of Santa Fe, New Mexico. No memorial plans have been announced.