American woman who was killed in an accident in Amsterdam was head of music at Twitch

The 69-year-old woman from the United States who died in an accident in Amsterdam on Monday was Cindy Charles, the head of the music division of livestream service Twitch and a digital music veteran. Charles played a key role in the development of Twitch's DJ category and made it the first platform where DJs could legally livestream, US media outlets including Variety reported.

The 69-year-old died in the city center on Monday after she got run over by a garbage truck. She was walking on the Passeerdersgracht, where the accident happened. The police’s call center received multiple reports about the accident in the city center at around 1:00 p.m. on Monday. Charles was in the capital to give a lecture at the Amsterdam Dance Event.

The driver of the garbage truck was arrested but has since been released. The Public Prosecution Service will decide on possible prosecution.

Twitch CEO Daniel Clancy confirmed on X that Charles had died in a traffic accident in the Netherlands. He wrote,“Anyone who 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.”

An ADE spokesperson said the event was deeply affected by Charles' passing. "Our thoughts are with her loved ones during this difficult time. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, colleagues and the global music industry."

Charles started working at Twitch in 2018 as head of partnerships and operations and was promoted to head of music four years later. She was responsible for music programming and licensing as well as maintaining contact with record labels and artists, according to Variety.