Dixie Chicks band founding member Laura Lynch dies in car crash

Laura Lynch - a founding member of the US country music band the Dixie Chicks - has died in a car crash. She was 65.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said she died after being involved in a collision between two vehicles near the city of El Paso on Friday.

Reacting to the news, the current band members said in a post on Instagram that they were "shocked and saddened".

"We hold a special place in our hearts for the time we spent playing music, laughing and travelling 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," the band said, adding that their thoughts were with Laura's "family and loved ones".

The band was set up originally as the Dixie Chicks in Dallas, Texas, in 1989. The co-founding members were Lynch, a bassist and later vocalist, Robin Lynn Macy (vocalist and guitarist), and the multi-instrumental sisters Martie and Emily Erwin.

The band performed country and bluegrass music at various festivals and venue, and were also often busking.

Before Lynch decided to leave in 1995, the Dixie Chicks released three albums: Thank Heavens for Dale Evans, Little Ol' Cowgirl and Shouldn't a Told You That.

But the band's commercial success would come in 1998 with their Wide Open Spaces album.

The band was renamed to The Chicks three years ago. The decision to drop "Dixie" followed criticism that the word had connotations to American slavery.