US singer Mark Lanegan dies at home in Killarney aged 57
Mark Lanegan: Picture: Roberto Finizio/Alamy Live News via PA
US singer Mark Lanegan has died at his home in Killarney. He was 57 years old.
His family confirmed the news via his Twitter account on Tuesday evening.
"Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland," the family said.
"A beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician, he was 57 and is survived by his wife Shelley."
Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland. 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. We ask Please respect the family privacy
— mark lanegan (@marklanegan) February 22, 2022
His family asked for privacy at this difficult time and said they would be making no further statement on the matter.
Mark Lanegan first came to prominence as the lead singer of grunge band Screaming Trees.
Formed in Washington State in 1985, the group released seven studio albums in total and were cited as an influence on several other major bands of the grunge era such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden.
A talented singer/songwriter, Lanegan released his first solo album in 1990. He would go on to release 10 further albums over the decades, with his last record being the well-received ‘Straight Songs of Sorrow’ in 2020.
He also collaborated and performed with a varied selection of popular musicians and singers over the years including, Queens of the Stone Age, the Gutter Twins, Tinariwen, Moby and Unkle.
Lanegan's struggles with alcohol and drug addiction were well-documented, not least by himself in his 2020 memoir, .
With the help and support of family and friends, among them Courtney Love, Lanegan had been clean and sober since the mid-2000s.
Having performed at Other Voices on more than one occasion over the years, Lanegan and his wife Shelley Brian relocated from Los Angeles to Killarney in 2020.
In March 2021, Lanegan contracted Covid-19. He lost his hearing in one ear, his balance, and spent four weeks in a medically-induced coma in Kerry University Hospital.
After he recovered, Lanegan wrote and published an account of his battle with the virus titled , which was published in December.
Both he and his wife had spoken fondly of their time living in Kerry.
"Mark Lanegan was a supremely gifted performer, songwriter, artist and author, and we are devastated to hear he has passed away," White Rabbit Books, his UK publishing house wrote on Twitter.
"He will be deeply missed. His art will endure and only grow in stature. This is a colossal loss and our thoughts are with his family at this time."
Killarney councillor and publican Niall O’Callaghan said people in the town were saddened to learn of the singer's death.
“On behalf of Killarney and the people, we would like to sincerely send our condolences to the family of Mr Lanegan," he said.
“Killarney is a small town and we all know each other, it’s a tight-knit community.
“For a man of the stature of Mark Lanegan, it was a real honour that he chose to live in Killarney.”
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