Born Judith Lynn Sill. Singer-songwriter, known for her intricately-crafted songs and mystical leanings. Both her father and brother died early in her childhood, probably scarring her emotionally. Her mother remarried animator Ken Muse, and Judee rebelled violently against her stepfather, eventually turning to petty crime and serving time in the early 60s. Around this time she also became a heroin addict, eventually kicking the habit as she started to pursue a musical career. Her song "Lady-O" became a minor hit for the Turtles in 1969, and she caught the attention of David Crosby and Graham Nash of CSN, sometimes playing with them as an opening act. She was signed to David Geffen's fledgling Asylum Records, and became part of the "Laurel Canyon Sound" made famous by Joni Mitchell and Carole King. Two albums, JUDEE SILL (1971) and HEART FOOD (1972) were critically acclaimed, with a song from the first, "Jesus Was a Cross-Maker" getting her some airplay and being covered by the Hollies. Many of her songs reflected her interests in Christian spirituality and metaphysics. Sales of the LPs were poor, especially since she refused to promote her career as an opening act. Eventually dropped from Asylum due to a dispute with Geffen, Sill fell into obscurity for the rest of the decade, resuming her old drug habit in the wake of a car accident that put her in almost constant pain. She died in 1979 of a cocaine and codeine overdose, forgotten by all but a few close friends, who had her body cremated, and the ashes scattered on the Pacific Ocean after a ceremony at the Self-Realization Fellowship in Pacific Palisades. Named by such contemporary artists as Shawn Colvin and Liz Phair as a major influence, both her Geffen albums have been rereleased in recent years, and a double CD, DREAMS COME TRUE (2005) collects her unreleased materials and outtakes.