Mark Lanegan, best known for his role as lead vocalist of the rock band Screaming Trees, has died. The news was announced in a statement posted to his Twitter account Tuesday afternoon.
Lanegan was 57 and passed away at his home in Killarney, Ireland, according to the Twitter post. He is survived by his second wife, Shelley Brien. The cause of death has not been announced.
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
Screaming Trees Debuted their first album in 1986 with Lanegan as the vocalist. He formed Screaming Trees with brothers Gary Lee Conner and Van Conner on guitar and bass respectively, alongside drummer Mark Pickerel.
Though widely associated with grunge, the band’s hard rock sound was combined psychedelic elements. Screaming Trees gained traction with their hit “Nearly Lost You” on their 1992 album “Sweet Oblivion.” Ongoing conflicts led to the breakup of the band in 2000. (RELATED: Jay Weaver Of Big Daddy Weave Passes Away At The Age Of 42)
Lanegan already had solo work at the time of the breakup. He debuted his first studio album “The Winding Sheet” in 1990. Other notable collaborations include work on albums for Queens of the Stone Age, The Gutter Twins alongside vocalist for the Afghan Wigs, Greg Dulli. Lanegan also worked with Isobel Campbell of Belle & Sebastian.
Published in 2020, his memoir, “Sing Backwards and Weep,” describes Lanegan’s struggles with addiction to alcohol and heroin, as well as the struggle of losing his friends Kurt Cobain, Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Alice and Chains vocalist Layne Staley. Last year, Lanegan released a second book, “Devil in a Coma,” in which he detailed his experiences contracting COVID-19 and slipping in and out of a coma during his time in the hospital.