Kirby Rock, a former teenage Elliott Smith fan, has discovered that the singer wrote her a warm reply to a fan letter she sent in 2000, but that the response was never posted. The find, made 23 years after Smith’s death, has renewed her motivation to write and make music, illustrating the lasting personal impact of his work.

A journalist researching the new Smith biography *Nobody Broke Your Heart* found both letters and contacted Rock. In his reply, Smith thanked her and encouraged her creativity; Smith died in 2003 aged 34, while the biography was published in June and a related Brooklyn concert will raise money for mental-health and homelessness charities.