British folk singer Norma Waterson has died at the age of 82. This was announced on Monday (January 31) by her daughter Eliza Carthy. Carthy is a folk singer herself and was part of the Carthy Folk Family alongside her mother and father, Martin Carthy.
A cause of death has not yet been announced. But Carthy recently revealed while trying to raise funds for her mother that she had been hospitalized with pneumonia.
Taking to Facebook, Eliza wrote: “Not much to say about this monumental sadness but Mam passed away yesterday afternoon January 30th 2022.” Thinking of everyone who has supported and donated to Waterson over the past few weeks, Carthy said.
Carthy’s message also included a link to a fundraiser for Martin and Norma, initiated by the family a few weeks ago after the pair’s savings ran out due to a lack of live performances. The pandemic is making it difficult for the family to provide for their livelihood, Eliza Carthy writes on the donation page, especially since mother Norma has not been able to perform for years.
Eliza released a new album during the pandemic and is hoping for significantly more revenue as soon as live performances are possible again. Until then, donations are very useful for the family.
After the news of Waterson’s passing, there were numerous tributes and condolences online. Musician Billy Bragg paid tribute to Waterson, writing on Twitter: “She started with Stiffle and went on to become one of the most important voices in traditional English music. My thoughts are with Martin, Eliza and the rest of the family.”
Very sorry to hear that Norma Waterson, the last of the singing Watersons from Hull, has passed away. She started out as a skiffler and went on to become one of the defining voices of English traditional music. My thoughts are with Martin and Eliza and the rest of the family.
— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) January 31, 2022
Born in Hull in 1939, Waterson didn’t release her debut album until 1996. Her last album, “Anchor”, was released in 2018, on which she collaborated with her daughter Eliza.