Mark Lanegan: Who is Mark Lanegan, cause of death, how did Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age icon die, what was his relationship with Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain

The musician was also a member of rock bands Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins and collaborated with artists such as Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain.

A statement posted on Lanegan’s official Twitter account said he died at his home in Killarney, Ireland on Tuesday morning.

Describing him as a “beloved singer, songwriter, author, and musician”, it said he is “survived by his wife Shelley”.

It added: “No other information is available at this time.”

When bands was Mark Lanegan in?

Lanegan joined Screaming Trees in the 1980s and went on to produce eight studio albums until the group’s split in 2000.

As frontman of Screaming Trees, Lanegan produced some of the genre’s most psychedelic and experimental music.

Their commercial breakthrough came with the release of 1992’s Sweet Oblivion, which was buoyed by the popularity of grunge bedfellows such as Nirvana.

The album birthed their biggest single, the soaring Nearly Lost You.

When they disbanded in 2000 amid creative differences, Lanegan went on to establish himself as a varied and successful solo artist, working under numerous aliases and with artists including English multi-instrumentalist Duke Garwood and Isobel Campbell, Scottish cellist and sometime vocalist of indie pop band Belle & Sebastian.

He first appeared on Queens of the Stone Age’s Rated R album in 2000 and lent his voice and songwriting talent to several songs.

He later formed The Gutter Twins with Afghan Whigs vocalist Greg Dulli.

Lanegan also featured on the 1995 album Above by Mad Season.

When did he release his memoir?

Lanegan released his “no holds barred” memoir called Sing Backwards And Weep in 2020.

His chronicle of despair and addiction, grief and regret manages to be both gripping and repelling, such are the depths he sinks to.

A standout takeaway from his book on social media was his withering assessment of Liam Gallagher, the former Oasis star who, after a string of clashes during a joint 1996 US tour, Lanegan describes as a “bully”.

Lanegan, however, later extended an olive branch of sorts to Gallagher, who responded to the book’s claims on Twitter, calling Lanegan an “uptight junkie” and “another bull****ter trying to sell a book”.

Was Lanegan addicted to drugs?

Lanegan’s all-consuming heroin addiction turned him from a physically imposing, 6ft 2in underground rock star to a wafer-thin, homeless man with rotten teeth.

Lanegan believes he was always destined for a life of addiction – “I came out of the box that way” he said in one interview.

He traded one evil for another, he added, saying: “For me, heroin was really a way to sort of transition from the alcoholism that was taking me apart. I was an alcoholic at age 12. And by the time I was 18 I caught a prison sentence because of my drinking.

“So I was a pretty severe alcoholic at a young age and it was really heroin – and I know this is not a PC, kosher thing to say and I’m certainly not promoting this as a way to stop alcoholism – but for me, it was a way that I stopped drinking.

“It shortly became its own problem and just as big a problem but in a different way.”

What was his relationship to Kurt Cobain?

The pair were close friends. In fact, Lanegan used to supply him with drugs, a source of searing regret. He also saw up close the corrosive effect of fame once Cobain became one of the world’s biggest stars.

Who has paid tribute to Lanegan?

Names from the world of music and entertainment have paid tribute to Lanegan including Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood, who reacted to the news by writing on Twitter: “Aww man, Mark Lanegan.”

Charlatans singer Tim Burgess tweeted: “Oh no. Terrible news that Mark Lanegan has left us. Safe travels man – you’ll be missed.”

Badly Drawn Boy said he is “gutted” following the death of Lanegan, describing him as one of the “great singers of the last 30 years”.

Badly Drawn Boy paid tribute to Lanegan, writing: “Hearing about Mark Lanegan passing away has properly stopped me in my tracks. I’m absolutely gutted.

“Met him on a couple of occasions and I was nervous because I loved him so much.

“He was a perfect gentleman, really kind. One of the great singers of the last 30 years. So sad.”

Co-founder of rock bands Joy Division and New Order Peter Hook described Lanegan as a “lovely man” who led a “wild life” following his death at the age of 57.

Hook shared a black and white photo to Twitter and wrote: “Mark Lanegan was a lovely man. He led a wild life that some of us could only dream of.

“He leaves us with fantastic words and music! Thank god that through all of that he will live forever. RIP Mark. Sleep well. Love Hooky. X”

Comedian and actor Rob Delaney has paid tribute to Lanegan on Twitter, writing: “I love you Mark Lanegan. A colossal, spectacular body of work.”

As he shared a collection of Lanegan’s work he added “These are all him? How?”.

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