Mark Sheehan death: The Script guitarist and co-founder dies aged 46

The Script co-founder and guitarist Mark Sheehan has died after a brief illness. He was 46.

The musician’s death was announced on Friday (14 April) by the Irish rock band from their official social media channels.

“Much loved husband, father, brother, band mate and friend Mark Sheehan passed away today in hospital after a brief illness,” the statement said.

“The family and group ask fans to respect their privacy at this tragic time.”

Last year, Sheehan missed the US leg of the group’s tour. At the time, The Script’s frontman Danny O’Donoghue told Sunday World that Sheehan’s leave was due to family commitments.

“It’s his story to tell, but yeah, I guess if I could paraphrase, his children needed a father and his wife needed a husband,” the singer and keyboardist said.

Formed in 2001 by Sheehan, O’Donoghue and drummer Glen Power, the three-piece indie-rock band released their eponymous debut album in August 2008, which featured the hit singles “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Breakeven”.

The Script topped both the UK and Irish music charts.

Years later, they released their 2012 single “Hall of Fame” featuring rapper will.i.am, which went on to become their highest-charting single to date. It landed as No 1 in the UK, Scotland, Ireland, Europe, and Austria, and charted across more than 30 different countries.

Several of their songs have been featured in popular TV programmes, including 90210, Ghost Whisperer, EastEnders, Made in Chelsea and The Vampire Diaries.

The Script have won three Meteor Ireland Music Awards and two World Music Awards, and have been nominated two times for Brit Awards.

Their latest releases include their third acoustic EP in 2022, titled Acoustic Session 3 , followed shortly by 2022 single “Dare You to Doubt Me”.

Since news of Sheehan’s death, fellow celebrities and fans have begun honouring him.

Kodaline, another Irish rock band who came to prominence in the early 2010s, shared their “deepest condolences”.

“So sorry to hear the passing of Mark Sheehan! We had the great fortune of getting to spend time in his company over the years and was always such a lovely man!” they tweeted.

The Independent’s music correspondent Roisin O’Conner also paid tribute, remembering Sheehan’s impact.

“The Script were EVERYWHERE in the 2010s, you couldn’t watch a teen drama series or turn on the radio without hearing one of their songs,” she wrote.

“A lot of that was down to Mark Sheehan - great hooks, beautiful rich guitar tones. Damn.”

Follow the latest tributes and updates here.