Publicist for Dave Matthews Band, others dies

NEW YORK (AP) Meredith Sue Israel Thomas, a publicist for key acts like Dave Matthews Band and Christina Aguilera, died from cancer last week. She was 39.

A memorial service was held Monday in New York for the former RCA Records publicist.

Israel Thomas was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2008. She shared stories about her cancer battle on the website for the non-profit organization, CaringBridge. She also worked on publicity campaigns for Kings of Leon and Lit.

The New Jersey-born publicist attended Syracuse University. She is survived by her five-year-old daughter Niomi Thomas, her husband Gary Thomas, parents Laurie and Joel Israel and brother Hank Israel.