Bruce Springsteen has admitted he is "heartbroken" following the tragic death of a former member of his iconic E Street band. Violinist Suki Lahav died on Wednesday, April 1, aged 74.

The Israeli-born musician joined the band in the mid-1970s and contributed violin and vocals to the 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. She also toured with the band during that era. Taking to Instagram, the 76-year-old Born to Run singer posted a sombre but simple message with white text on a black background.

"Here on E Street, we’re heartbroken over the passing of Suki Lahav. Her angelic voice shone on 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) and her beautiful violin brought great drama to the Jungleland intro.

"She also blessed our stage with her beauty and grace in our early touring days. She was a wonderful friend. May she rest with the angels," he concluded.

He signed it with his name to show it was personally written by him and not someone on his team.

The news of Lahav's death was confirmed by her family, who said she had endured a "short, tough battle" with an illness.

Her son Yonatan paid tribute, writing: "My beloved, beautiful mother has been gathered to infinity.

"She wrote songs that touched people’s hearts. She was a special woman – wise and pure-hearted – and loved life. She was the best mother I could wish for.”

The musician found herself in Springsteen's orbit when her first husband, Louis, was the sound engineer at a New York studio favoured by his early 1970s manager, Mike Appel.

While working on his second album, Springsteen had hired a church children’s choir to perform on a song called 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), but they did not show up, and Lahav was drafted in, she recalled in a 2007 interview with The Jerusalem Post.

"Yes, I went from kibbutz harvest music to rocking with Bruce ... I was around. And I had this high, pure, clear voice. So that was my first time [playing with them]," she said.

She then joined the band on tour when Springsteen decided he wanted a violinist on stage with him. However, despite her contribution to the album, she had to audition for that gig.

"I didn’t think I was very good … You have to practice for hours a day. I was never a big practicer. But maybe, maybe I did have my own thing," she told the publication.

She left the group for personal reasons and returned to Israel just as Born to Run was being recorded. However, she always recalled her time with the group fondly.

Although she said she had not seen Springsteen since 1976, she described him as "a lovely man" in the interview. "It’s not the main thing in my life, but it’s a part of me that will never fade," she said.