Mark Lanegan, the lead singer for Seattle grunge band Screaming Trees as well as a former member of Queens of the Stone Age, has died. He was 57.
The news of his passing was announced by his family and friends through his verified Twitter account. The cause of his death was not disclosed.
“Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland,” the statement read. “A beloved singer, songwriter, author, and musician he was 57 and is survived by his wife Shelley. No other information is available at this time. The family asks everyone to respect their privacy at this time.”
Many consider Lanegan, who started Screaming Trees in the mid-1980s, to be one of the pioneers of grunge and indie rock as a whole. He had collaborated with a number of notable names in the genre like Kurt Cobain, Moby, Neko Case, Isobel Campbell, the Armed, and many more.
Lanegan had an active solo career that consisted of many other collaborations, albums, and poetry. He also released his memoir “Sing Backwards and Weep” in 2020 in which he detailed his journey from habitual drug use to rehab. He had been sober for almost 20 years when his work was published.
Many other musicians honored the late rocker with heartfelt words on social media.
“He leaves us with fantastic words and music!” Joy Division’s Peter Hook said fondly of Lanegan. “Thank god that through all of that he will live forever.”
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