Nashville-based indie rocker Jessi Zazu died Tuesday following a longtime battle to cervical cancer. She was only 28.
The ‘Those Darlins’ frontwoman was largely recognized in the famed ‘Music City’ for her leading role of the rock group’s establishment in the country-saturated scene of Nashville.
The band announced the sad news Wednesday to their official Facebook page.
‘From the desk of Linwood and Those Darlins HQ: Yesterday I said goodbye to my best friend, long time partner in crime and hero, Jessi Zazu Wariner,’ the post read.
Nashville indie rocker Jessie Zazu, 28, died Tuesday following a cervical cancer battle
Zazu shared parts of her cancer journey with fans and followers since being diagnosed in 2016
Zazu, left, received overwhelming support from friends during the journey
Zazu initially noticed severe bleeding in 2015, which continued for months
‘She maintained a sense of humor and a commanding presence up until and through her final moments. She was in the company of those who cared deeply about her and who she cared deeply about.’
Zazu was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the spring of 2016 after she went through several doctor visits when she noticed she had irregular bleeding and other unusual symptoms starting in February 2015, according to the Nashville Scene.
Zazu visited her gynecologist in 2015, where results from a pap smear came back as normal.
Months later, she continued hemorrhaging and went back to see the doctor, who again informed her the bleeding was not concerning.
‘Those Darlins’ posted the news of her passing to Facebook Wednesday along with tributes to the late singer
She was only 26 when she found out she had stage 2 cancer
Following her diagnosis, Zazu became an advocate for women’s health
‘Jessi was a force of nature — the way she lived, the way she played… It was an honor to work with her and to know her,’ said fellow indie singer, Margo Price to Twitter
‘I can’t tell you what exactly this is, but I can rule out pregnancy and cancer,’ the doctor said at the time, the local newsweekly reported back in June.
As symptoms became worse, an emotional Zazu decided to make an appointment with Planned Parenthood to receive another examination. When she arrived, staff ordered her to visit the ER. Again, she was dismissed with ‘abnormal bleeding.’
The following day, her gynecologist office called about an opening in the office.
When Zazu received another one of several exams, results came back showing she had stage 2 cervical cancer.
The 26-year-old was informed the cancer originated from a human papillomavirus infection, otherwise known as HPV.
Since her diagnosis, Zazu underwent several treatments, and began actively advocating for women’s health an early detection of female cancers.
Nashville friends and fans expressed grievances about the late singer to social media this week
One of the singer’s friends and author of the Nashville Scene feature, spoke further about Zazu during a new interview with The Tennessean.
‘Jessi advocated for women. She thought women deserve more respect than they get. That’s why she was so open about her experience with cervical cancer,’ said Shelley DuBois.
‘She wanted other women to know that they weren’t alone, that they should listen to their bodies and speak up for themselves without shame if they knew something was wrong.’
Margo Price, another Nashville-based indie singer, expressed her grievances after learning of the heartbreaking passing of the young artist.
‘Jessi advocated for women. She thought women deserve more respect than they get. That’s why she was so open about her experience with cervical cancer,’ said friend Shelley DuBois
‘She wanted other women to know that they weren’t alone, that they should listen to their bodies,’ DuBois said
Just weeks before her tragic passing, Zazu shared pictures from her hospital bed
‘Jessi was a force of nature – the way she lived, the way she played… It was an honor to work with her and to know her,’ Price wrote to Twitter.
‘(She) helped her loved ones through her music and art and story. But she also helped strangers … Teenage girls everywhere pick up guitars after listening to her songs.
‘Cancer patients she’ll never know will be comforted by the art she made for the radiation room at Vanderbilt. She was so much bigger than herself … She’ll continue to help so many people,’ said Price.