R.I.P. Ruth.

Today, Superbeast mourns the loss of Ruth Adams, the "Polka Queen." Her accordion will sing forever in our hearts.

From the Star Tribune:

Quiet and unassuming, Ruth Adams preferred to let her accordion do the talking. Leading a tiny combo that someone once christened the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band, that accordion landed her on the Jon Stewart show and ABC's "Good Morning America," while helping to establish Nye's in northeast Minneapolis as what Esquire magazine rightfully dubbed the best bar in America.

Adams died Friday at Hennepin County Medical Center at age 79 after a battle with cancer.

"Who's going to play 'The Barking Dog Polka' now that Ruthie's gone?" lamented a longtime coworker at the landmark Nordeast watering hole who called us with the news.

Ruth was a throwback to an era in Minnesota when "polka" and "pop music" were synonymous. And truly, the two converged whenever Ruth and her band took the tiny stage at Nye's, filling the dance floor with bluehairs of all ages -- studded/tattooed punk rockers along with the Northeast old-timers who still loved to cut the rug.

Ruth started playing at Nye's in 1975. While her health had declined of late, she continued to play her weekend gigs at Nye's up until a couple weekends ago. Sadly, a birthday celebration scheduled for Feb. 26 had to be canceled at the last minute when she was hospitalized.