Susie Tennant has died, surviving Nirvana members pay tribute

The surviving members of Nirvana and others from the Seattle music scene have paid tribute to their former publicist, Susie Tennant, who has handed away on Friday (January 19) on the age of 61.

Tennant’s demise was introduced by the “Susie Tennant Fan Club” Facebook page, which was created by Seattle’s music group. Based on her husband Christopher Swenson, she handed away surrounded by relations. She had suffered from a uncommon type of early-onset dementia, named frontotemporal degeneration.

Tennant was important for being an integral determine to Seattle’s music scene. Her storied profession concerned a stint with Geffen Information’ different rock imprint DGC Information and as a advertising and promotion personnel underneath Sub Pop, Expertise Music Venture, Tower Information, BMG, College Ebook Retailer, M3 Advertising and City Corridor. Presumably because of her work with DGC Information, she labored extensively with acts together with Nirvana, Gap, Sonic Youth, Weezer and Beck.

In a tribute written by native music journalist Charles R. Cross for The Seattle Times, varied figures from the Seattle scene expressed their love and admiration for Tennant’s work. Notably, Dave Grohl and Kirst Novoselic – whom Tennant served as publicist whereas they performed in Nirvana – responded to information of her demise over e-mail, writing: “We beloved Susie an ideal deal, and she or he will probably be missed.”

The pair recalled their 1991 launch celebration for Nirvana’s breakout sophomore LP, ‘Nevermind’, which was held at native venue Re-bar. When the band have been kicked out of their very own occasion after beginning a meals struggle, Tennant remained buoyant and easily shifted the celebration to her home. “Susie laughed it off,” they mentioned. Cross famous that Tennant as soon as recalled how Kurt Cobain tried on one among her clothes, stating: “He seemed actually good in it.”

Moreover, Jim McKeon of M3 Advertising acknowledged that Tennant was profitable in promotion as a result of “she was capable of get even essentially the most cynical radio program administrators to play her bands just because she actually believed in everybody she promoted”. Kim Warnick of The Fastbacks – as soon as a roommate of Tennant’s – additionally advised that she was an important persona within the native scene, stating: “There was nobody in Seattle music that was as well-loved, or as revered as Susie. She was the bond that related so many, and there wasn’t an individual in Seattle music that didn’t love her.”

For 13 years, Tennant had suffered from quite a lot of illnesses earlier than her current demise. In 2011, she was recognized with ovarian most cancers, which finally went in remission. Nonetheless, she struggled with the mind fog following chemotherapy – which she known as “chemo mind” – and finally developed frontotemporal degeneration.

Cross wrote that in her ultimate years, Tennant continued to make buddies in healthcare settings, and continued to “stay a full and lively life along with her household, youngsters and buddies”. Amid her well being points, the Seattle group continued to help her – Novoselic and different bands organising a fundraising live performance to cowl Tennant’s medical bills when she was recognized with ovarian most cancers, and a “Susie Tennant Fan Club” Facebook page being set as much as rally help for the scene chief.

In 2021, a former Sub Pop worker began a GoFundMe web page to assist Tennant with “rising hospital payments” in mild of her creating dementia. The marketing campaign surpassed its $100,000 purpose, with Grohl, Novoselic, Sub Pop and Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard named amongst its distinguished contributors.

Other than Swenson, Tennant is survived by their youngsters, Ella and Eli. Particulars of a memorial service for Tennant will quickly be introduced on the “Susie Tennant Fan Club” page.

Learn tributes to Susie Tennant from Thurston Moore and others under.

Within the meantime, her household requests that donations made in her title be made to any of the next foundations:

Seattle Musicians Entry to Sustainable Healthcare (smashseattle.org)
Seattle Musicians for Youngsters’s Hospital (smoochforkids.com)
MusiCares (musicares.org)
The Affiliation for Frontotemporal Degeneration (theaftd.org)