Rock music legends pay tribute to singer Mark Lanegan following his death in Killarney, Co Kerry

The grunge star (57) who 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, is survived by his wife Shelley.

Punk star Iggy Pop, who was the lead singer of The Stooges, said he was a “fan” of Lanegan and had the “deepest respect” for him.

The US musician, whose real name is James Newell Osterberg Jr, shared a message online, saying: “Mark Lanegan, RIP, deepest respect for you. Your fan, Iggy Pop”.

Peter Hook and John Cale were also among those to remember Lanegan and his “wild life that some of us could only dream of”.

Alongside Mark Pickerel, Gary Lee Conner and Van Conner, Lanegan produced some of the rock genre’s most psychedelic and experimental music.

Ina series of tweets, Pickerel said: “Goodbye old friend, I’ll miss you, I love you,” and that he hoped the angels were “taking good care” of Lanegan.

He also shared a photo of them hugging and added: “May you truly Rest in Peace Big Brother @marklanegan.”

Other Voices said they were “heartbroken” to hear of his death.

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

He first appeared on Queens of the Stone Age’s Rated R album in 2000 and lent his voice and song writing 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.

Co-founder of English rock bands Joy Division and New Order Peter Hook described Lanegan as a “lovely man” who led a “wild life”.

Sharing 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”

Cale, founding member of Velvet Underground, said the grunge star would “always be etched in my heart”.

“I can’t process this,” he wrote, captioning a picture of the pair on stage together.

“Mark Lanegan will always be etched in my heart – as he surely touched so many with his genuine self, no matter the cost, true to the end. xx jc.”

Welsh rock band The Manic Street Preachers said they were “devastated” at the news of Lanegan’s death and paid tribute to his “unique artist vision”.

Other artists paying tribute to Lanegan included Moby, Badly Drawn Boy, Charlatans singer Tim Burgess, Nadine Shah and Mark Ronson.

As frontman of Screaming Trees, Lanegan pioneered a sound fusing heavy metal and punk rock, a genre later known as grunge.

Formed in 1985, 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.

In 1996, after the band released its seventh album in 10 years, it took a hiatus while Lanegan worked on his third solo album, according to a biography of the band on allmusic.com. Screaming Trees never quite picked up its momentum again and disbanded in 2000.

Whenthey disbanded in 2000 amid creative differences, Lanegan went on to establish himself as a varied and successful solo artist.

Throughout his career he collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Massive Attack, Moby, Pearl Jam, the Eagles of Death Metaland more.

In 2020, Lanegan published a “no holds barred” memoir called Sing Backwards And Weep, in which the musician covered everything from “addiction to touring, petty crime, homelessness and the tragic deaths of his closest friends”.

Last year saw him publish another book, a memoir called Devil In A Coma, in which he detailed his battle with Covid-19.

In an excerpt from the book, published by The Guardian, he wrote about being placed in a medically induced coma while in hospital in Kerry.

The statement announcing news of his death read: “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’s privacy.”