Written by: Alex Green

Geneviève Castrée, an innovative artist and musician has died.

She was 35.

Born in Loretteville, Quebec, Castrée began her career performing under the names Woelv and Ô PAON.

She’s the author of a number of books, including Die Fabrik, Pamplemoussi, and the book of poems Maman Sauvage’.

A guitar player of great invention, Castrée met Phil Elverum, the frontman of The Microphones and Mount Eerie, and the two were later married. After the birth of their first and only child in 2015, Castrée was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Elverum’s pals in Neutral Milk Hotel auctioned off several items on their website to help the couple with their medical bills. The items ranged from original art by Jeff Mangum to signed NMH box sets to the headstock of a Guy Piccioto (Fugazi) guitar that was smashed at a 1985 gig with Rites of Spring.

The couple’s Go Fund Me Page had this to say about Castrée’s illness: “In May of 2015, four months after giving birth to an incredible and healthy daughter, Geneviève was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  It was really out of the blue for this super health conscious 34 year old…We don’t know what the future holds and how long this uncertainty will last.  In any case, the amount we’ve spent over the last year alone has left us in a precarious financial position as a family.”

Elverum and his child are still facing enormous medical bills to go along with the emotional distress of having lost a wife and a mother.

You can help him by clicking on the GoFundMe Page.

Castrée died at her home in Anacortes, Washington.