The music community is in mourning after a tragic traffic collision.
Cindy Charles, the head of Twitch’s music division, has died after being struck by a garbage truck while walking along a canal in Amsterdam. She was 69.
According to multiple local Dutch outlets, Charles had been walking along the Passeerdersgracht canal in Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighborhood Oct. 14 and was hit at around 1 p.m. local time. Although emergency workers responded to the scene, Charles died at the site of the crash.
The driver of the truck was taken in for questioning by authorities, police told local outlet Algemeen Dagblad. The cause and fault of the event is still being investigated and the Dutch Public Prosecution Service is still determining whether or not to prosecute them, authorities added.
E! News has reached out to authorities in Amsterdam but has not yet heard back.
Charles’ husband Ricky Fishman—who reconnected romantically with the businesswoman in recent years after befriending her at their college SUNY Buffalo in the 1970s—shared a post on Facebook confirming his wife’s death with a heartbreaking remembrance.
“There will be no filling the hole in the universe left by Cindy's departure from this world,” Fishman—who coparented Charles’ son Ben from a previous marriage, as well as his son Sam—wrote in an Oct. 15 post. “She gave love and she received love, building a network of friends unrivaled by any person I have ever known. So many are grieving right now.”
Fishman went on to laud his wife’s impact in her industry, adding, “She was at the top of her game, an icon in the music biz.”
Later, Twitch’s CEO Daniel Clancy echoed Fishman’s sentiment—emphasizing her contributions to the live-streaming video service company.
“Most of the members of the Twitch community are probably not familiar with Cindy's work, but she has been leading our team that manages our relationship with the music industry,” Clancy wrote in an Oct. 18 post on X, formerly Twitter, post. “Cindy has a deep history in the music business and she has been critical in creating the strong relationships that we have today.”
He continued, “Anyone that uses music on Twitch owes a debt of gratitude to Cindy's work. She always had a bright smile on her face even as she negotiated unprecedented music licensing agreements for Twitch including the recent DJ agreement.”
Clancy went on to note that Charles’ legacy will stem beyond her business dealings.
“We will all dearly miss her and we are sorry to see her go,” he added. “A little bit of her will remain with all of us that worked with her all of these years.”
Charles had been visiting the European city to speak on a panel at the Amsterdam Dance Event. In an Oct. 18 Medium post, Charles’ colleague Kira Karlstrom—who had also been in the city for the event—shared a colorful account of what it was like having the 69-year-old in her life as a coworker and friend.
“Cindy thrived in every setting—dinners, parties, music conferences—places where she was surrounded by lifelong friends, and you could see how much joy that brought her,” Karlstrom wrote. “Cindy was a brilliant, multi-talented woman whose warmth, intelligence, and relentless drive drew people to her wherever she went. She inspired us all, just by being herself.”