Shania Twain Mourns Death Of Longtime Band Member

Allison Cornell, longtime fiddle player, background vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for Shania Twain, has died at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer.

Shania Twain announced the news on her social media Wednesday (Feb. 21), saying:

“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. Feeling very sad to hear of Allison’s lost battle with cancer, her memory will live on but sadly another beautiful human has gone too soon from this world. Rest in Peace.”

 

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According to her artist management website, JaggerEdge, Cornell had an impressive resume that included a Masters degree from Julliard. She was known for providing keyboard, viola, violin and guitar accompaniment and background vocals for numerous artists. In addition to Shania Twain, Cornell tourned with Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Paula Cole and more.

Happy Birthday @allisoncornell from the #ShaniaTwainTeam we hope you have an amazing day! ❤️
(Thank you for the reminder @MoreFUN_LP 😘) pic.twitter.com/ppOvOBNB3V

— Shania Twain Team 💎 (@ShaniaTwainTeam) November 24, 2018

It’s unclear how long Allison was a member of Shania Twain’s band, but a memorable clip from a 1998 television special shows Twain and Cornell being sneaky backstage during rehearsals.

The televised concert special, filmed at Texas Stadium in Dallas, was a two-hour event that featured the concert and behind-the-scenes clips of Twain and her band. In one clip, Allison and Shania sneak into the Cowboys’ locker room where they try on helmets and other football gear. Shania puts on a Troy Aikman jersey and asked Allison to crop it with scissors.

Allison Cornell’s social media pages are filled with photos and clips of her touring career with Shania Twain. Her incredible talent was only outshined by her infectious energy. See some of our favorite moments from Allison in the clips below.

@ShaniaTwain Thanks for making our lives happier 😍😍 @allisoncornell you are pure magic 🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/BUHT4SAMIP

— Gabriel_HP (@Gabriel_Herpla) October 8, 2018

I miss that day,I remember the band coming in and how I was impressed,it was very incredible and beautiful @allisoncornell and @corychurko are perfect,I was amazed at them playing is very beautiful… (1/2) And @ShaniaTwain pic.twitter.com/AKDGtVd42d

— Néia Silva💞 🇧🇷 (@NeiaSTwain) September 30, 2018