Twitch's Music Chief Cindy Charles Dies in Amsterdam Traffic Accident at 69
Cindy Charles, Twitch's Head of Music, passed away at age 69 following a traffic accident in the Netherlands while attending the Amsterdam Dance Event. Her husband Ricky Fishman confirmed her passing.
Cindy Charles, Twitch Head of Music
Charles played a pivotal role in developing Twitch's DJ category, securing groundbreaking licensing agreements with major labels and Merlin that made Twitch the first platform for legal DJ livestreaming. Twitch CEO Daniel Clancy praised her work, noting that "anyone who uses music on Twitch owes a debt of gratitude to Cindy's work."
Her impressive career included serving as Head of Music at Twitch since April 2022, following her initial role as partnerships and operations principal from 2018. Previously, she held leadership positions at Amazon Tickets, MediaNet, and Viacom, where she managed digital legal and business affairs for MTV Networks divisions.
A Queens, New York native, Charles graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a political science degree before earning her law degree from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. She served on the Recording Academy's Board of Governors and maintained her own digital consulting firm.
She is survived by her husband Ricky Fishman, son Ben Charles, and stepson Sam Fishman. Her legacy includes transformative changes in music IP monetization and creating new revenue streams for artists through her work at Twitch.