Shania Twain Mourning the Death of Longtime Band Member Allison Cornell
Shania Twain is mourning the death of Allison Cornell — a violinist, violist, synth player and multi-instrumentalist who had been part of her core touring band for years.
"Allison Cornell was such a talented and wonderful person. It was a privilege, as an artist, to have her on stage with me through a lot of my touring career," Twain wrote on social media on Wednesday (Feb. 21). "Feeling very sad. Allison's memory will live on but sadly another beautiful human being has gone too soon. Rest in Peace."
As part of her tribute, Twain shared a couple of videos highlighting Cornell's contributions to her live show. One of them appears to be from Twain's 2018 Now Tour, spotlighting Cornell's role on the stage during that show.
"I love looking at the crowd. Love it," Cornell says in that clip. "It's such a big part of the show for everybody, and for me. They're looking at each other, and I'm looking at them, and I'm just trying to find people I can see up there. I do a lot of pointing, 'cause I've got a bow sometimes."
Another clip is much older, dating back to what looks like Twain's early heyday in the '90s. That snippet appears to be a promotional clip, in which Twain and Cornell raid the Dallas Cowboys' locker room.
Artist management company JaggerEdge confirmed Cornell's death on their website in a statement dated Feb. 19. "The viola is quiet," the statement reads in part. "Rest in Peace Allison you will be terribly missed."
No cause of death for Cornell was immediately available.
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Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak