The pioneering bassist has undergone multiple surgeries and a full course of radiation after being diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of brain cancer.

Melanie Lynskey, Kathleen Hanna, Shirley Manson lead crowdfund for L7 punk legend Jennifer Finch amid brain cancer battle

The pioneering bassist has undergone multiple surgeries and a full course of radiation after being diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of brain cancer.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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July 13, 2026 11:53 p.m. ET

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Melanie Lynskey, Jennifer Finch, and Kathleen Hanna. Credit:

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Robin Marchant/Getty

- Friends of the pioneering punk musician Jennifer Finch have set up a fundraiser to support her amid a battle against brain cancer.

- Melanie Lynskey, Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna, and Garbage singer Shirley Manson have all contributed to the fundraiser.

- “Every donation, every share, and every message reminds Jennifer that she is surrounded by a community that cares deeply for her,” organizer Aubree Miller wrote in the GoFundMe.

After years of gifting the world with bounties of punk perfection, friends and family of Jennifer Finch are asking fans to give back.

The longtime bassist of the pioneering punk band L7 has been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to a GoFundMe launched by Finch’s friend Aubree Miller on Monday.

“When she first heard the diagnosis, there was reason to believe that treatment, including a full course of radiation, would get her back to some version of normal living. Unforeseen complications led to multiple surgeries and a string of difficult setbacks,” Miller wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “The cancer and everything that comes with it have left her with significant physical limitations so she’s handling this the only way she knows how: one day at a time.”

Call sent, call received. By 11 p.m. ET on Monday, the fundraiser had surpassed $185,000 of its $350,000 goal. Among the top donors: members of the band Garbage, Bikini Kill, and the Julie Ruin, as well as Le Tigre frontwoman Kathleen Hanna and actress Melanie Lynskey.

Jennifer Finch performing with L7 in New York City in 1994.

Ebet Roberts/Redferns

Garbage’s donation topped Monday’s influx of contributions at $8,000. Hanna contributed $5,000, and Lynskey $1,000, while Adrienne Armstrong, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong’s wife of 36 years, sent over $5,000. Pearl Jam bassist Jeffrey Ament also donated $4,500.

Over 2,600 donors contributed to the effort, and many of those benefactors flooded the comment section of the GoFundMe to share warm reminiscences and encouraging words for Finch.

When reached for comment, Finch representative Hutch told **, “The amount of love she’s receiving is mind-blowing (very deservedly so) and speaks to the impact she’s had on people across different facets of life worldwide.”

Hutch also noted that Finch’s family and friends will continue to use the GoFundMe page to communicate updates on the rocker’s condition with fans.

Miller explained in the GoFundMe that “the level of care Jennifer needs has gone beyond what friends and family can safely provide around the clock. As we face the difficult reality that Jennifer may have more good days behind her than ahead, we are asking for help to make the time she has with her friends, family, and fans as comfortable, meaningful, and full of love as possible.”

She then broke down how the proceeds will be applied after the close of the fundraiser: for professional in-home nursing care, physical/speech therapy, home-care expenses, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and to work toward creative an archive of Finch’s work and complete a “significant creative project that was scheduled for release next year.”

Finch’s loved ones elaborated further in an Instagram post announcing the launch of the GoFundMe, shared the the musician’s official account on Monday.

“Jennifer has spent her life making noise. Making art. Making history. Challenging expectations. Kicking down doors. Showing up for people. Giving a damn when it would have been easier not to. Now it’s our turn to show up for her,” the post read. It was accompanied by a photo of Finch making a characteristically wild face while recovering in a hospital bed.

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There, more of Finch’s famous friends and fans flocked to her digital side to her express their support.

Hanna called Finch “the funniest, the cutest, the coolest! Were all here to support!” Bratmobile frontwoman and Riot Grrrl O.G. Alison Wolfe wrote, “Love you, Jennifer ❤️,” Joan Jett left a simple black heart emoji, and fellow feminist punks Lunachicks wrote, “❤️We love you Jen!!! ❤️Sharing and donating and sending you ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️& healing energy❤️.”

A photographer, designer, bassist, and singer, Finch has been at the vanguard of high octane, politically explosive, women-driven art-making for over three decades. In addition to playing bass and providing vocals to L7 on five of their seven albums, Finch is also a member of band the Shocker, and was a past member of bands Other Star People — which lent their music to series like *Buffy the Vampire Slayer *and *Degrassi: The Next Generation* — and Sugar Babylon. The latter band would be looked back on as a future supergroup of female rock titans on the rise, consisting of Finch, Courtney Love, and Babes in Toyland’s Kat Bjelland. In 1994, Finch appeared in the music video for Hole’s downbeat anthem “Doll Parts.”

“She has never gone quietly,” Finch’s loved ones wrote in Monday’s Instagram post. “Neither will we.”

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