L7 bassist, photographer and multidisciplinary artist Jennifer Finch has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and is undergoing treatment, a development that will keep her off the band’s upcoming U.S. farewell dates.
The news arrives as L7 gears up for the opening leg of their final world tour, “The Last Hurrah Tour,” set to launch in early October in the United States. Because of her ongoing health battle, Finch won’t be able to join her bandmates for the fall 2026 U.S. shows.
According to the band, Finch‘s condition advanced far more quickly than anyone anticipated. What was first thought to be treatable with radiation and other therapies turned into a far more serious situation, requiring multiple surgeries and leaving her with significant physical limitations. She now needs extensive medical care, rehabilitation and professional in-home assistance during her recovery, and her friends, family and collaborators have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help meet the mounting costs of her treatment and continued care.
L7 noted that the farewell tour had been mapped out when all four members were healthy and looking forward to celebrating the band’s legacy together. While Finch can’t take part in the U.S. dates, she has urged her bandmates to press on with the shows as planned. She’ll be filled in on bass for the run by Tsuzumi Okai, who previously toured with Limp Bizkit in 2018.
Guitarist Donita Sparks addressed the diagnosis and the band’s push to rally support around their longtime bandmate. “We are all devastated by the news and are surrounding her with love, protecting her privacy and dignity, while helping raise the resources she urgently needs for the care ahead,” she said. “Jennifer is family, and we want her to feel the full strength of the community that has loved and supported her for so many years.”
For now, the band’s immediate priority is helping Finch‘s fundraiser reach as much of the fan and creative community as possible.
A defining figure in alternative rock since the late 1980s, Finch anchored L7‘s low end through the band’s ’90s peak before stepping away in 1996, and rejoined when the group reunited in 2015, playing on their 2019 album Scatter The Rats. Outside the band, she has worked extensively as a music photographer and played in acts including OtherStarPeople and The Shocker.
“The Last Hurrah Tour” will mark L7‘s final run of live shows, with stops slated for New York City, Washington D.C., Nashville, Chicago and Seattle, among others, before wrapping with a hometown send-off in Los Angeles.
