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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Memorial Concert For Michal the Girl to Benefit Her Twins

By Carla Zanoni | December 13, 2011 5:43pm

INWOOD — Family and friends of an Inwood singer-songwriter and actress known as Michal the Girl who died giving birth to healthy twins the day after Thanksgiving are preparing for a benefit memorial concert next Monday.

Just three weeks after the shock of Michal Lura Friedman’s death, friends from all over the world plan to celebrate the life of the singer who described herself on her website as "five foot nothing" with a voice "strong enough to blow your hair backwards.” The concert will be held at the Canal Room in TriBeCa.

Friedman had released two CDs, had her work featured on a number of dance albums and was a regular performer at Joe’s Pub in the East Village. She also was the voice for Annalise Zazic on Nickelodeon's "Speed Racer: the Next Generation" cartoon.

Michal Lura Friedman, best known as the singer Michal the Girl, died on Nov. 25, 2011 after giving birth to twins.
Michal Lura Friedman, best known as the singer Michal the Girl, died on Nov. 25, 2011 after giving birth to twins.
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MySpace/Hannah Thomson

“Michal ...has left us physically, but her spirit, music, talent, and now her two beautiful children are a legacy that will be honored,” family friend Greg Abbey wrote in an email Monday.

“This will be a night of music, dance, and speech in remembrance of our dear friend who is deeply loved and missed.”

DNAinfo first reported that the 44-year-old South Carolina native who had always dreamed of becoming a mother died Nov. 25 from surgical complications shortly after receiving a C-section while giving birth to healthy boy, Jackson James, and girl, Reverie Vivian Snyder, according to her family.

Her husband, Jay Snyder, is now raising the children with the support of family in Inwood, where the two had recently moved into a large apartment in Inwood from Williamsburg, Brookyn, in preparation for the expanding family.

The story of Friedman’s passing has touched family, friends and fans, according to her family, with donations pouring in from across the country. Contributions “will go toward raising Michal’s babies,” reads an email about the event. A video of the first few days at home for the babies was recently released by family friend, Anthony Haden Solerno.

Donations are also being collected on a tribute website.

A breast milk drive for the babies was in the works, but scrapped after it was determined to be too difficult to organize. A few friends have been bringing the family breast milk in the interim, according to Abbey.

“An Evening in Memory of Michal the Girl” will be held on Monday, Dec. 19, at the Canal Room at 285 West Broadway, between 8 and 11 p.m. 

Friends are also asked to email photos of Friedman to mtg@animusrex.com to be featured in a slideshow during the performance. Photos can also be mailed to Matthew Wells, c/o Morgan Stanley, 1585 Broadway, New York NY 10036.