Neil Young pays tribute after ex-wife Pegi dies at the age of 66

RIP, Pegi.

Neil Young has paid tribute after his ex-wife Pegi died at the age of 66 after a year long battle with cancer.

The US star, who was married to the Canadian rock icon until 2014, passed away on New Year’s Day, a statement on her Facebook page confirms.

“With great sadness, we confirm that on January 1st, after a yearlong battle with cancer, Pegi Young – mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, musician, activist and co-founder of the Bridge School – passed away surrounded by her friends and family in her native California. We request that the families’ privacy be respected at this time,” the statement confirmed.

Now, Young has posted his own heartfelt tribute – describing her as “a wonderful mother.”

“Thanks Pegi, for being such a wonderful mother to our children,” Young wrote in a statement published to his Archives website. “You live inside of them and the many you have touched.”

He also wrote down the lyrics to his ‘Harvest Moon’ song ‘Such a Woman’, which was inspired by Pegi.

Pegi is survived by Ben and Amber – her two children with Young.

She married Young in 1978 and spent decades as a back-up singer on his tours, before releasing five country albums – the most recent being 2017’s ‘Raw.’

In the 1980s, both she and Young also founded The Bridge School, a non-profit organization that aids children with physical and speech impairments including cerebral palsy after Ben was born with the condition.

Between 1986 and 2016, the pair held a star-studded benefit concert in California in support of The Bridge School; with previous performers including David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen Willie Nelson, The Who, Jack White and Arcade Fire.

Responding on Twitter, one fan wrote: “As a family who have a beloved member with cerebral palsy, we followed Pegi’s work closely. So saddened to read the world has lost this amazing Mom fight to find a way to educate her son and his peers in a creative way. Many Moms and Dads around the globe, thank you.”

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