Screaming Trees and QOTSA vocalist Mark Lanegan dies at age 57

Mark Lanegan, the grunge icon best known as the frontman of The Screaming Trees, has died at the age of 57.

News of Lanegan’s death was confirmed in a statement shared to his Twitter page today (23 February) which wrote:

“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.”

Aside from his work with The Screaming Trees from 1985 to 2000 and the rock supergroup Queens Of The Stone Age, Lanegan was also a solo artist and a collaborator with artists. He recorded an unreleased album of Lead Belly covers with Kurt Cobain and performed in Mad Season with both Layne Staley of Alice In Chains and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam.

The Screaming Trees are regarded as a pioneering grunge band, formed in 1984 between brothers Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner, Mark Pickerel and Lanegan. The group used to rehearse at the video rental store belonging to the Conners’ family.

In 1986, the band recorded their debut album, Clairvoyance, which helped them sign to SST Records, the label of Black Flag’s Greg Ginn.

Lanegan penned three books in his lifetime. In 2017, he released a compendium of his lyrical work with explanations and anecdotes of his songs. In 2020 and 2021, he released two memoirs, Sing Backwards And Weep and Devil In A Coma, respectively.

The second of his memoirs detailed Lanegan’s battle with COVID-19, which put him in and out of a comatose state in 2021.

Tributes to Lanegan have poured in online on social media from both fans and those from the music world. See a selection below:

Devastated by this-heartbreaking a huge talent on so many levels-such an amazing voice and all those beautiful words-love and respect to family friends and all those who loved his unique artistic vision💔💔💔 https://t.co/7UszbGg7iz

— Manic Street Preachers (@Manics) February 22, 2022

I am in absolute shock, a very beautiful soul has left this world. I love you brother… my deepest condolences to his family and friends ❤️ pic.twitter.com/imr84fXdqH

— anton newcombe (@antonnewcombe) February 22, 2022

Oh no. Terrible news that Mark Lanegan has left us. Safe travels man – you’ll be missed 💔

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) February 22, 2022

Mark Lanegan was a supremely gifted performer, songwriter, artist and author, and we are devastated to hear he has passed away. 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. https://t.co/maXVCzcjBb pic.twitter.com/GpsRAubRoY

— White Rabbit Books (@WhiteRabbitBks) February 22, 2022

Mark Lanegan is my favorite singer. Dark and unabashedly fucked up, and his voice and words reflected it wholeheartedly—exactly as he intended. I am so grateful for his entire body of work, music and books alike. Sending hugs and support to all who loved him today. 🖤

— Cat Jones (@catjonessoda) February 22, 2022