Mark Sheehan Dies: Co-Founding Guitarist For Hitmaking Irish Group The Script Was 46

Mark Sheehan, co-founding guitarist of the popular Irish rock trio The Script, died today after a brief illness, the band announced. He was 46. No other details were revealed.

“Much loved husband, father, brother, band mate and friend Mark Sheehan passed away today in hospital after a brief illness,” the group posted on social media. “The family and group ask fans to respect their privacy at this tragic time.”

The Irish Record Music Association named The Script as the Official Irish Charts’ Artist of the Decade, and the band racked up more chart-topping singles and albums than any other homegrown Irish act between 2010-19. Six of its seven LPs, including last year’s hits compilation, hit No. 1 in the UK, with 2012’s #3 peaking at No. 2. It also racked up four Top 5 singles there and three No. 1s in Ireland.

The band is scheduled to support Pink for a series of European concerts in the summer.

Sheehan and singer-keyboardist Danny O’Donoghue were childhood friends in Dublin and were part of the boy band Mytown in the late ’90s. The pair relocated to the U.S. for a few years, landing a short-lived record deal with Universal and reaching the UK Top 25 with the single “Party All Night.” The pair later returned to the Irish capital, where they recruited drummer Glen Power and formed The Script in the early 2000s.

The band relocated to London and scored a huge hit with its 2008 self-titled debut album, which topped the UK and Irish charts.

The disc, which would spend nearly three years on the UK album chart including three weeks at No. 1, featured “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” the first of its many European hits. “Hall of Fame,” featuring will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas, hit No. 1 in the UK and Ireland in 2012, and “Superheroes” topped the Irish chart and hit No. 3 in the UK two years later.

The group won the International Award at the UK’s Silver Clef Awards in 2018.

The Script also enjoyed some stateside success, with the 2008 single “Breakeven” and three of its albums reaching the Top 15, led by a No. 3 peak for 2010’s Science & Faith.

Sheehan was born on October 29, 1976, in Dublin. Also a singer, songwriter and producer, he is survived by his wife of 18 years, Rina Sheehan, and their children Cameron, Avery and Lil.

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. pic.twitter.com/6HaShCk8l4

— the script (@thescript) April 14, 2023