Q Lazzarus: Singer of cult hit Goodbye Horses in The Silence of the Lambs dies

The musician Q Lazzarus, real name Diane Luckey, has died.

The musician is best-known for performing the song Goodbye Horses, which featured prominently in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.

Luckey died on July 19, according to an obituary notice published by Jackson Funeral Home in Neptune, New Jersey.

A separate notice, in the local Asbury Park Press paper, reportedly said Luckey died from a short illness.

Asbury Park Press and Jackson Funeral Home misdated Luckey's date of birth, according to Rolling Stone, meaning Luckey actually died aged 61, not 59.

The Jackson Funeral Home notice said that at the time of her death, Luckey was making a documentary about her life and career with filmmaker and friend Eva Aridjis. It added that the film will be released in 2023.

In a tribute on Instagram, Aridjis wrote: "Despite having had a very hard life, she was not jaded at all. On the contrary - she was full of enthusiasm, passion and humor.

"Q had one of those life forces that you simply can’t imagine being extinguished or ceasing to exist, because it was so vital and radiant and exuberant."

Luckey was one of seven siblings and that she loved music and singing from a very young age, Jackson Funeral Home said.

Aged 18, she moved from Neptune to New York where she performed as a backup singer and performed jingles for commercials. Later, she began recording and performing her own music.

The notice reads: "She lit up the room and turned heads everywhere she went and has always been a larger than life legend in the music world."

As well as her song being featured in Silence of the Lambs, Luckey appeared in the 1993 film Philadelphia, where she sung during a party scene starring Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks.

For decades, Luckey shied away from the public eye, and her whereabouts became a mystery to those outside her personal life. As late as 2018, a journalist from Dazed magazine attempted to track her down, but was unsuccessful.

Luckey is survived by a husband and two children.

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