Fears are mounting for the safety of folk singer Linda Perhacs, the reclusive artist behind the 1970 cult album “Parallelograms,” after friends and former collaborators said she has disappeared eight months following her discharge from a residential care facility. The 82-year-old musician struggles with dementia and was released into her legal guardian’s care, but her closest associates report being unable to contact either Perhacs or her guardian during this time.
The alarm spread publicly on Monday, when an update posted to Perhacs’ Instagram page laid out the timeline in stark terms. Stearns wrote an urgent appeal asking fans for help in locating the missing singer, according to Rolling Stone.
DubLab co-founder Mark “Frosty” McNeill shared the post alongside Stearns, singer Julia Holter and writer Jessica Hundley. This group of longtime friends and creative partners described Perhacs as a dear friend and legendary artist. They explained she left a residential care facility about eight months ago with her legal guardian, and their many attempts to contact either the singer or her guardian have received no response.
A Report Filed in June
A missing persons report was filed June 6 with the Los Angeles Police Department. According to Stearns, Perhacs had lived for eight years at an assisted living facility in Northridge, California, before her legal guardian removed her from the home. Her supporters have stressed that they are not accusing anyone of wrongdoing. Instead, they say, they simply want confirmation that she is safe and being cared for, and they hope to reestablish contact after the prolonged silence.
Stearns framed the effort as one of concern rather than intrusion. The goal, she said, “is not to intrude upon her privacy,” but to ensure she is safe and to reconnect with an artist whose work continues to resonate across generations. Stearns also provided an email address, lstearns@primarywave.com, for anyone with verified information that could help find Perhacs.
The search has extended well beyond phone calls. Hundley told Rolling Stone in an email that Perhacs had resided at the facility for multiple years during her struggle with dementia. Her friends have contacted elder care authorities, filed several police reports and retained a private investigator to aid the effort. The statement circulated publicly on Instagram noted that those issuing it are seeking confirmation that Perhacs is safe, well and receiving appropriate care, while voicing concern over the long absence of any communication with a beloved public figure.
A Career Rediscovered Decades Later
Perhacs occupies a singular place in music history, a figure whose belated fame arrived long after she had walked away from the spotlight. She created “Parallelograms” in 1970 while employed as a dental hygienist. Critics dismissed the album upon its initial release, and sales were minimal. Perhacs went back to her dental work, apparently ending her recording ambitions. Years later, during the internet era of the late 1990s, the album gained new attention and was celebrated as an overlooked gem of psychedelic folk music. It developed a passionate following and received multiple reissues, earning recognition among younger audiences. This renewed interest brought Perhacs back to recording: she released the comeback album “The Soul of All Natural Things” in 2014, followed by “I’m a Harmony” three years later.
That enduring influence is precisely why her disappearance has struck such a nerve. The statement described her as a public artist whose music has profoundly influenced musicians and listeners around the world, making her well-being a matter of genuine concern to a broad community of admirers and colleagues. For now, her friends’ plea remains simple and unresolved: they want to know she is safe, and they are asking anyone with information to come forward.