A groundbreaking New York City music executive for the live streaming service Twitch has died in a tragic car accident in the Netherlands, according to reports.
The company's head of music, Cindy Charles, had been invited to speak at a dance event in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, when she was struck by a garbage truck while crossing the road. NL Times reported.
The publication did not immediately identify the victim, but Charles' death was confirmed as follows: Twitch CEO Daniel Clancy confirmed this on Friday.. She was 69 years old.
Charles played a key role in several big deals during his six years at Twitch. That includes a recent deal that established Twitch as the first platform for DJs to legally livestream. According to Variety.
Earlier this month, the digital rights veteran led the team behind pop star Charli XCX's event at Storm King in upstate New York.
“Everyone who consumes music on Twitch owes us a debt of gratitude for Cindy's work,” Clancy wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “She always had a bright smile on her face, even as she negotiated an unprecedented music licensing deal with Twitch, including her recent DJ deal.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Charles joined Twitch, the Amazon-owned interactive live streaming service, in 2018 as head of music partnerships and operations. According to her profile, she was promoted to head of music in 2022.
According to her profile, she previously worked at Amazon for nearly four years.
“Cindy had such a magnetic presence. She was the light that filled every room, the laughter that broke through even the most difficult moments, and the energy that kept us going when we needed it most.” writes Charles' colleague Kira Carlstrom. Post to media.
“She was a woman who never missed a phone call, accepted every invitation to lunch, and made sure not to leave a single email unanswered.”
Charles served as an advisor to the Board of Directors of the Recording Academy. She co-founded Women in Digital Media, a networking group of more than 1,500 women executives based in New York and San Francisco, and the SF chapter of She is the Music, a nonprofit supporting women in music careers. did.
Karlstrom said Charles, who grew up in Queens, studied political science at the University at Buffalo and then decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become an entertainment lawyer.
She earned her degree from Pace University's Elizabeth Haub School of Law, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Charlies is survived by her husband, Ricky Fishman, and two sons.
