US country band The Chicks have said they are “shocked and saddened” by the death of founding member Laura Lynch aged 65 following a car accident.

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed to the PA news agency that Lynch died on Friday after being involved in a two-vehicle collision.

Lynch was one of the founding members of the group in 1989, featuring on their first three albums, before departing the group in the mid-1990s.

In a statement shared to Instagram on Saturday, The Chicks wrote: “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks.

“We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing and traveling together.

“Laura was a bright light…her infectious energy and humour gave a spark to the early days of our band.

“Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band.

“Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West.

“Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time. – Emily, Martie & Natalie.”

A report by the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed Lynch was pronounced dead at the scene following the head-on collision near El Paso.

The driver of the other vehicle was taken to hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries” and there is an ongoing investigation into the crash, the report said.

The US band was originally founded as The Dixie Chicks by Martie Maguire, Emily Strayer, Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy.

Macy later left the group and Lynch was replaced by Natalie Maines.

Before Lynch left, the band released three albums together – their 1990 debut Thank Heavens For Dale Evans, 1992’s Little Ol’ Cowgirl and 1993’s Shouldn’t A Told You That.

The group got its commercial breakthrough in 1998 with their fourth album Wide Open Spaces, with Maines leading the vocals.

It was followed up by 1999’s Fly, 2002’s Home, 2006’s Take The Long Way – which all went to number one in the US album charts.

In 2020, the band announced they were changing their name to The Chicks.

The word Dixie often refers to the southern states of the US that seceded around 1860 to form the new Confederate States of America.

They released their comeback album, Gaslighter, in 2020 and supported Bruce Springsteen at BST Hyde Park in London in July.