Twitch's Head of Music Dies After Being Run Over by Garbage Truck in Amsterdam: 'Devastated by This Loss'

Mar. 15, 2025

Cindy Charles.Photo:Twitch

Twitch

Cindy Charles, Twitch’s head of music, has died at age 69 following a traffic accident in Amsterdam.

The company’s CEO, Daniel Clancy, confirmed the “truly tragic news"on X(formerly known as Twitter) on Friday, Oct. 18.

“Cindy was killed in a traffic accident when she was traveling in the Netherlands. 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.

Het Paroolreported that she’d been in the city to speak on a panel at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) on Thursday, Oct. 17.

Cindy Charles.Twitch

In his tribute message, CEO Clancy wrote about Charles' “deep history in the music business,” adding, “She has been critical in creating the strong relationships that we have today.”

“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 wrote.

Clancy continued, “Anyone that worked with Cindy knows how much she cared about everyone with whom she worked. I know everyone that has worked with her was shocked to hear the news. We will all dearly miss her and we are sorry to see her go. A little bit of her will remain with all of us that worked with her all of these years.”

“I send my most heartfelt sympathy to her husband [Ricky Fishman] and her two sons,” Clancy concluded.

Fishman was among those paying an emotional tribute on social media, writing onFacebookon Tuesday, Oct. 15, alongside multiple photos: “It is through tears that I want to let people know what many of you already do; that my wife, Cindy Charles, passed away yesterday in a traffic accident in Amsterdam.”

He went to explain how they didn’t date at the time — but reconnected 30 years later at a “friends reunion.”

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“So hug those you hold closely, tell them that you love them… a lot. Life is such a fragile affair, and what we have today, we may not, tomorrow,” he wrote.

“[Cindy’s] life was cut short, but it burned brightly as her memory surely will.”

Twitch’s Kira Karlstrom also paid tribute in aMediumarticle: “Cindy was more than just Twitch’s Head of Music — she was the heart and soul of our team, and a force for good in everything she touched.”

source: people.com