Mark Lanegan, Screaming Trees singer and icon of early Seattle grunge scene, dies at 57

Mark Lanegan, the singer whose scratchy baritone and dark, poetic composition made Screaming Trees an essential part of Seattle’s grunge scene and brought him an acclaimed solo career, died Tuesday at the age of 57.

“Our dear friend Mark Lanegan died this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland,” a post to Lanegan’s Twitter account, who called him “a beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician.” The management company SKH confirmed the death to the New York Times.

No cause of death was reported. In a memoir published last year, Lanegan said a serious case of COVID-19 left him hospitalized in a coma.

Lanegan was never a huge commercial success, but through seven full-length albums with Screaming Trees, 10 solo albums and collaborations with Queens of the Stone Age and many others, he gained a devoted fan base that included critics. and his fellow musicians of several generations.

“Mark Lanegan will always be etched in my heart as he surely touched so many with his genuine self, no matter the price, faithful to the end,” John Cale of Velvet Underground said on Twitter.

Iggy Pop tweeted, “Mark Lanegan, RIP, the deepest respect for you. Your fan, Iggy Pop.”

Lanegan formed the Screaming Trees in 1984 in his hometown of Ellensburg, Washington. Drummer at first, he said he was so inept that he had to become a lead singer.

With his mix of grumpy pop and hard rock that leaned toward psychedelia, Screaming Trees was among the candidates many thought would break with the Seattle grunge scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. although they would never see the widespread popularity of Nirvana and Soundgarden.

His debut with the main label for Epic Records, “Uncle Anesthesia” in 1990, was co-produced by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden.

The single “Bed of Roses” would be played on MTV and modern rock radio.

The commercial peak of The Trees came with “Sweet Oblivion” from 1992 and the single “Nearly Lost You”, which is still Lanegan’s biggest hit and best known song, thanks in part to his appearance on the soundtrack. from Cameron Crowe’s “Singles” movie. “

The group would technically remain a unit until the year 2000, but Lanegan increasingly focused on his solo career during the 1990s, creating quieter, more bluesy, more melancholy music. he earned the nickname “Dark Mark”.

His voice made him a coveted collaborator with fellow Seattle musicians. She sang in projects with Layne Staley of Alice in Chains and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. He recorded a series of Leadbelly covers with Kurt Cobain. It would never be released, but Cobain would use his “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” arrangement in a memorable performance on “MTV Unplugged.”

Lanegan would lend his voice to five albums for Queens of the Stone Age, beginning with his 2000 breakthrough “Rated R”.

He made three albums as a duet with Isobel Campbell of Belle and Sebastian and formed another duo, The Gutter Twins, with Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs.

He and his wife Shelley Brien moved to Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland in 2020. He contracted COVID-19 shortly afterwards. He would write about it, his long struggle with drugs and alcohol and his decade of sobriety in his memoirs, “Devil in a Coma.”

“Mark Lanegan was a lovely man,” tweeted New Order and Joy Division bassist Peter Hook, with a photo of Lanegan accompanying him on stage. “He led a wild life that some of us could only dream of. He leaves us fantastic words and music! Thank God that through all this he will live forever.”

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