Mark Lanegan, the founding Screaming Trees singer and an ex-member of Queens of the Stone Age, has died at the age of 57, a representative for the musician confirmed in a statement on Tuesday (Feb. 22).
"Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland," it 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."
In 2020, Lanegan was hospitalized with COVID-19. According to the musician's recent book, Devil in a Coma, published last year, he slipped in and out of a coma with "little hope of survival." The Screaming Trees co-founder also went deaf during his illness. In 2021, a spokesperson said Lanegan had "gotten his hearing back now, but his health is up and down."
The artist sometimes called "Dark Mark" was born Mark William Lanegan in Ellensburg, Wash., on Nov. 25, 1964. He fronted the psychedelic proto-grunge act Screaming Trees from their 1984 start until their 2000 split, recording albums including Sweet Oblivion (1992) and Dust (1996) with them in that time.
Lanegan then moonlighted with Queens of the Stone Age, contributing lead and backing vocals to select songs on five albums with the rockers from 2000 to 2013. Lanegan also released solo albums and further recorded with Isobel Campbell, Duke Garwood and others. He relocated to Ireland in 2020.
A memoir from Lanegan, Sing Backwards and Weep, came out in 2020, the same year as his final solo album, Straight Songs of Sorrow. They followed his 2017 lyrics book I Am the Wolf.
Listen to some highlight Lanegan performances below.
Grunge icon Mark Lanegan has died, aged 57
https://www.nme.com/news/mark-lanegan-has-died-aged-57-3167192
Mark Lanegan, Screaming Trees singer, dies at 57
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/feb/22/mark-lanegan-screaming-trees-singer-dies
