The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan has died aged 46, the band has confirmed.
The musician, songwriter, and producer died in hospital following a short illness, with his loved ones asking for privacy.
A statement from the Irish group posted on social media, 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.’
Last year, it had been reported that Sheehan had not played with fellow bandmembers Danny O’Donoghue and Glen Power for months during The Script’s world tour.
‘The band isn’t available for comment but on the band’s socials they mention he is spending time with his family currently,’ a spokesperson told the at the time.
Sheehan was born at Mount Brown in The Liberties area of Dublin in 1976.
Before joining The Script, he was a former member of the band MyTown along with bandmate O’Donoghue.
Both musicians were involved in the production of two of Peter André’s songs on the album, The Long Road Back, before reaching superstardom.
Lead singer O’Donoghue, 42, told the Sunday World newspaper at the end of 2022 that Sheehan was his perfect song-writing partner.
He said: ‘Myself and Mark share the song writing responsibilities. I really enjoy what Mark does as a writer.
‘And I feel privileged that I get the opportunity to work with somebody that even if we had never met and he wasn’t in this band I would be playing his records today.
‘I’m such a fan of what he does and I really respect him as a lyricist, and hopefully vice versa.’
