Linda Perhacs, the influential psychedelic folk musician whose 1970 album Parallelograms found a devoted audience decades after its release, has been reported missing at age 82.
Friends and longtime collaborators say they have been unable to communicate directly with Perhacs for approximately eight months, following her discharge from a residential care facility in the Los Angeles area.
Former manager Laurel Stearns told Pitchfork that she filed a missing-person report with the Los Angeles Police Department on June 6.
Members of Perhacs’ circle have also issued a public appeal asking anyone with verified information about her well-being to contact them.
Friends Lost Contact After She Left a Care Facility
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Perhacs had lived at an assisted-living facility in California’s San Fernando Valley for approximately eight years, according to Pitchfork. Her friends last saw her there before she was discharged under the supervision of those responsible for her care.
A public statement shared by Stearns, musician Julia Holter, Dublab co-founder Mark “Frosty” McNeill and filmmaker Jessica Hundley said attempts to contact Perhacs and her legal guardian have gone unanswered.
Hundley directed the music video for Perhacs’ song “Prisms of Glass,” while Holter contributed to her later recordings. Stearns managed Perhacs from 2013 to 2016 and worked with her during the release of her second album, The Soul of All Natural Things.
Producer Fernando Perdomo, who worked on Perhacs’ two most recent albums, said he and other friends had remained in contact with her while she was receiving memory care. He said they performed for her 80th birthday before later learning that she had been moved out of the facility by her next of kin.
A Missing-Person Report Was Filed in June
Stearns said the LAPD investigated after she filed the June 6 report but could not share information with her or Perhacs’ other friends because they are not relatives, legal guardians or caregivers holding power of attorney.
No public update confirming Perhacs’ location had been released as of July 28. People reported that concerned members of Perhacs’ circle have contacted elder-care authorities, filed police reports and retained a private investigator.
Perdomo said an official report had also been made with the California Department of Social Services. Anyone with verified information about Perhacs’ condition, whereabouts or current means of contact has been asked to email Stearns at lstearns@primarywave.com.
The Public Appeal Does Not Accuse Anyone of Wrongdoing
“Those issuing this statement are not alleging wrongdoing,” the statement provided to Entertainment Weekly said. “Rather, they are seeking confirmation that Linda is safe, well, and receiving appropriate care.”
Her friends say she was formally discharged before they lost contact with her and became unable to confirm where she was living. “The most important thing is to make sure that she’s safe and she’s comfortable,” Stearns told Pitchfork.
‘Parallelograms’ Found Its Audience Decades Later
Perhacs was working as a dental hygienist in Beverly Hills when she met Oscar-winning film composer Leonard Rosenman, one of her patients. After hearing about her songwriting, Rosenman helped bring her into the studio and produced Parallelograms.
The album received little attention after its 1970 release, and Perhacs continued working in dentistry. Its reputation grew through later reissues, eventually earning admiration from musicians including Holter, Sufjan Stevens, Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom and Fleet Foxes singer Robin Pecknold.
Perhacs returned with The Soul of All Natural Things in 2014, 44 years after her debut. Her third and most recent album, I’m a Harmony, followed in 2017.