Obituaries

Woman whose name inspired band name Greta Van Fleet dies

FRANKENMUTH, Mich. (AP) -- Gretna Van Fleet didn’t play music with Greta Van Fleet. But maybe she got the next best thing: The Grammy-winning rock band uses her name.

The 95-year-old Michigan woman died Monday at a senior living center in Frankenmuth, according to her obituary, the same community where the band was formed in 2012.

Kyle Hauck, a drummer in the band’s early days, has told interviewers that a name was needed in time for a local performance. He said he heard his grandfather talk about helping a friend, Gretna Van Fleet. Something clicked. The band dropped the ‘n’ in Gretna and Greta Van Fleet was born.