Folk singer Beverley Martyn has passed away aged 79

British folk singer Beverley Martyn has passed away at age 79. She was best known for her collaborations with her former husband John Martyn as well as her spirited solo work.

The news was announced via a statement from the late John Martyn’s family, who said she died peacefully at home on Monday, adding that “Beverley was a remarkable woman of great inner strength. She was beautiful, intelligent, warm and kind.”

Born Beverley Kurtner on March 24, 1947, the musician started performing in the mid-60s with the band The Levee Breakers on vocals and 12-string-guitar, which she learned from British folk legend Bert Jansch, an early boyfriend.

Around the time, she also recorded solo songs including ‘Happy New Year’, a written by Randy Newman and featuring a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones among the session musicians.

After becoming romantically involved with Paul Simon, she was invited to guest on Simon & Garfunkel’s 1967 album Bookends, and delivered a spoken word segment on the track ‘Fakin’ It’. She also appeared as their guest at the Monterey Pop Festival.

In 1969, she met John Martyn and quickly married him. Together, they recorded a duo album Stormbringer! in 1969 in Woodstock, with Levon Helm on drums and Joe Boyd producing. In 1970, they also put out The Road to Ruin.

She continued to be involved in her former husband’s career until their divorce in 1980, leading to her retirement from music.

In the late 80s, she made a comeback by touring with Loudon Wainwright III, but would only release her solo album No Frills in 1998, followed by The Phoenix And The Turtle in 2014, marking her final collection of new material.