Donna Jean Godchaux, the powerhouse vocalist who helped define the Grateful Dead's sound throughout the 1970s, has passed away at the age of 78. The Alabama-born singer passed away on Sunday, November 2, at a hospice facility in Nashville after what her family described as a "lengthy struggle with cancer," according to Rolling Stone.

A statement shared with the publication said: "She was a sweet and warmly beautiful spirit, and all those who knew her are united in loss. The family requests privacy at this time of grieving. In the words of Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, 'May the four winds blow her safely home.'" Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, as she later became known, joined the Grateful Dead in 1971 alongside her husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux. Her rich harmonies became a key part of the band's most celebrated era, featuring on classic albums including Europe '72, Wake of the Flood, and Terrapin Station.

Cornell '77 show to their unforgettable 1978 concerts at the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

Before her years with the Dead, Donna carved out a stellar career as one of the South's most in-demand session singers. Working in the legendary Muscle Shoals studios, she lent her voice to a string of soul and rock classics - among them Percy Sledge's When a Man Loves a Woman and Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds.

She also appeared on recordings by Cher, Neil Diamond, Boz Scaggs, Duane Allman, and Ben E. King.

Reflecting on her sessions with Presley in 1969, Donna told Rolling Stone in 2014 that recording with the King was a "very intense" experience: "We were so professional when we were singing," she said.

"But after the session ended, we went into the International House of Pancakes in Memphis and screamed bloody murder for about an hour, holding up that little Polaroid picture of us and Elvis together."

After moving to San Francisco in 1970, Donna met the Grateful Dead through her future husband. "I told Jerry [Garcia] that Keith needed to be in the band and I needed his home phone number - and I got his number!" she recalled. Both she and Keith joined the band soon after.

Donna later admitted that transitioning from the studio to the stage was challenging: she had built her career as a controlled studio vocalist, and performing live with the Dead's freeform improvisation tested her limits.

"I was used to having headphones and being in a controlled environment," she said, acknowledging there were moments where her live vocals were "pitchy."

After leaving the Dead in 1979, Donna continued to perform and record music, releasing a self-titled album with Keith in 1975 and later fronting her own groups - including Donna Jean and the Tricksters and the Donna Jean Godchaux Band.

Her final album, recorded with Jeff Mattson, was released in 2014.