Ben Sargeant, bass player for The Script, has spoken out
The band confirming he had been ill for a short period of time.
A statement from the Irish group, posted on , read: ‘Much loved husband, father, brother, band mate and friend Mark Sheehan passed away today in hospital after a brief illness.
‘The family and group ask fans to respect their privacy at this tragic time.’
Sargeant has now paid tribute to his late friend, admitting he was ‘struggling to find words’.
Taking to Instagram with a lengthy, heartfelt message, the musician began: ‘This is so difficult to write. Struggling to find words that are good enough. What can I say about a man who had a life changing impact on me and all around him.
‘A fiercely loyal and dedicated family man, husband, father, brother, friend. A man who showed me that persistence, belief, dedication and hard graft does pay off in the music industry!
‘A man that always shone a new light on a situation and inspired you to find a new way to approach it.
‘A man who could put lyrics together in a way that made you feel he was talking directly to you.’
‘An extremely gifted performer who could disarm the most high pressure performance by coming over in the middle of a song and giving a knowing look, or a cheeky smile,’ he praised.
‘Or just take the p**s out of you! A man who worked tirelessly and was more driven that anyone else I’ve known.
‘A man who played as hard as he worked and loved to sit up shooting the breeze and making you roar with laughter, no matter how tired or jet lagged we were.
‘Yeah… what can I say…? I can say: I’m honoured to have known you and shared these times with you, thank you for all you did for me.
He concluded lovingly: ‘I will miss you terribly and I will never forget you. Love you. See you at the big bar in the sky, brother.’
His post was met with an outpouring of love, as fans remembered the late star fondly.
‘We’re all truly heartbroken too ? sending love to you and all the band/crew ?’, one fan commented.
‘Don’t want to imagine the pain that you must go through right now. Sending lots of love to you and my deepest condolences ❤️’, penned another.
‘Our hearts are hurting for you all. ?. Beautiful words Ben… I know you could have probably kept writing for days about how he lighted up everyone’s life .. Sorry for your loss .. Sending love to you all x?❤️’, another wrote.
Sheehan formed The Script with Danny O’Donoghue and Glen Power in 2001.
However, it had been reported last year that Sheehan had not played with his fellow band members for months during The Script’s world tour.
Sheehan is survived by his wife and three children.
