Died On This Date (July 7, 1993) Mia Zapata / The Gits
themusicsover Mia Zapata
August 25, 1965 – July 7, 1993
Member of the 27 Club
Mia Zapata was the powerful lead singer of the highly influential Seattle punk band, the Gits. As a child growing up in Louisville, Zapata was exposed to music by some of the greatest voices in America, Hank Williams, Ray Charles, Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. While at a Ohio college during the mid ’80s, Zapata co-founded the Gits. In 1989, the band moved to Seattle to be closer to what was quickly becoming a scene of like-minded bands like Nirvana and Mudhoney. The band quickly built a local following partly due the release of a handful of solid singles and their critically acclaimed debut album, Frenching The Bully. Things appeared to be on the verge of taking off for the band when tragedy struck. In the early morning hours of July 7, 1993, Zapata left a friend’s apartment to presumably walk or catch a cab home. She never made it. Police reports indicate that she was beaten, raped and strangled at approximately 2:15 am, her body left in a “Christ like” pose in the middle of the street. Her murder would go unsolved for ten years until a DNA match linked a Florida man to the crime. He was convicted of Mia Zapata’s murder on March 25, 2004
What You Should Own
Stefanie Sargent was the guitarist for Seattle all-girl punk band, 7 Year Bitch. The band formed in 1990 and was signed to indie label, C/Z Records by 1991. Building a fan base due in part to their aggressive shows and songs, they reached a point where they were even sharing the stage with the band that had inspired them, the Gits. Things were going well for the band as they were just about to release their debut album. But just before its release, Stefanie Sargent died of a heroin overdose just days after her 24th birthday.