Jan Kuehnemund, guitarist of all female US hard rock act Vixen has passed away aged 51, after a battle with cancer.
The bands Facebook page was updated with the following announcement yesterday:
‘It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of VIXEN founder and lead guitarist, Jan Kuehnemund, who lost a fierce battle with cancer on Thursday, October 10, 2013. Though most well known for her gifted guitar playing and other musical talents, Jan was a rare friend and beautiful in every sense of the word. Humble, thoughtful, loyal and kind, she was the most gracious of women, possessing the quiet strength of a true warrior. She genuinely loved and appreciated her friends and fans more than most could ever know. Those who were most fortunate to have known her and loved her are heartbroken at the loss of Jan, whose spirit will shine through her music eternally. Jan was very courageous. Never complained. Never gave up. The cancer beat her body but it NEVER broke her spirit at any point. Up until the actual moment that she died, she really believed she was going back home. Jan… you will be missed… but never forgotten.”
Kuehnemund was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in November 1961, and founded Vixen while still in high school. The group played in their home cities for a long period, undergoing several line-up changes, before moving to Los Angeles in pursuit of fame and fortune.
Vixen signed to EMI in 1988 and released their self-titled debut that year, going on to support acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi and Deep Purple. Their sophomore album, ‘Rev It Up’ was released in 1990, and the group disbanded over musical differences in 1991. Though their initial period of fame was short-lived, the group have been seen in retrospect as one of hard-rocks most important all-female acts, and the ‘female Bon Jovi’.
The group reformed for a brief period in the late 90’s, but Kuehnemund was not involved until 2001, when she reformed with two Vixen members and a new bassist, in an ill-fated reunion that saw the band split up mid-tour over internal disagreements. Now the sole remaining original member, Kuehnemund recruited an entire new line-up, touring extensively, and releasing the last album under the Vixen name, ‘Live and Learn’, in 2006.
In her condolences on the Facebook page, friend and one-time Vixen bassist, Share Ross revealed that the group had resolved their differences, and a reunion had been in the works until Kuehnemund’s cancer diagnosis had made this impossible.
Check out the band in their heyday in the video for ‘Edge of a Broken Heart’ below:
