The 16-year-old daughter of The Flaming Lips‘ drummer Steven Drozd, Charlotte, has been reported missing. She was last seen near the Space Needle in Seattle.
The Seattle Police Department made an urgent appeal to the public via social media about her disappearance. On Twitter, they shared her photo and wrote: “MISSING: Charlotte, 16 y/o, WF, 5’9″, 140lbs, brown eyes and long brown hair.
Wearing khaki colour shorts and pink shoes. Last seen Saturday 10-5-24 at 11:30 am, in the 400 block of Broad Street by the Space Needle.
A missing person poster on Facebook suggested she might be heading towards downtown Seattle. The band also posted the missing person poster on their social media accounts. In their Instagram post, they wrote: “URGENT!!! Please help if you can!!! Steven’s daughter (she is 16 years old) is missing!!! She was last seen at the Space Needle early on Saturday…. I’ll post more info as soon as I can.#flaminglips”
Steven expressed his gratitude to the band in a heart-wrenching comment, writing: “Thank you Wayne for posting. We don’t know what to do.”
Band frontman Wayne Coyne also shared the poster on his personal account, urging: “Please help if you can!!!”
Numerous other celebrities, including Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, shared the appeal online. Charlotte, affectionately nicknamed ‘Bowie’, vanished shortly after her father’s concert at The Climate Pledge Arena, as reported by KCPQ-TV. Seattle Police Department’s Eric Munoz informed the news outlet, “There’s no criminal investigation that we’ve conducted. It’s a standard missing juvenile case.”
Drozd became a member of The Flaming Lips back in 1991 and has showcased his talent not just on the drums but also on bass, keyboard, and through his vocal contributions.
Tragically, the band was hit by another sorrowful event when up-and-coming star Nell Smith was killed in a car accident. The young talent, aged 17, who had worked with The Flaming Lips and had her debut album lined up for release the following year, died unexpectedly.
In a heartfelt homage, her grieving family confirmed the teenager’s death. They shared their deep anguish: “It pains us so much to say that our feisty, talented, unique, beautiful daughter was cruelly taken from us on Saturday night.”
They further expressed their devastation, stating, “We are reeling from the news and don’t know what to do or say. She had so much more to experience and to give to this world but we are grateful that she got to experience so very much in her 17 years. She has left an indelible mark on the world and an unfillable chasm in our hearts. Hold your kids extra tight tonight and for now please leave us to work through things. We will shout when we need you.”
During a gig in Poland, The Flaming Lips‘ lead singer Wayne struggled to hold back tears as he made a sombre announcement to the audience: “We have a very sad announcement to make tonight. We have a Canadian friend, her name is Nell. We recorded an amazing album with her three years ago, an album full of songs by Nick Cave.”
He continued, visibly moved, “We have some sad messages today – she was killed in a car accident last night (October 6). We are reminded once again of the power of music and how encouraging it can be to be around people that you love.”
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