The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan dies

The co-founder and guitarist of Irish rock band The Script, Mark Sheehan, has died. The 46-year-old died in hospital on Friday following a brief illness, the band announced, reports BBC.

Sheehan formed the group in 2001 alongside vocalist Danny O’Donoghue and drummer Glen Power.

A statement on the band’s social media pages said Sheehan was a “much loved husband, father, brother, band mate and friend”.

It asked fans to respect the privacy of his family and bandmates.

Ireland’s president Michael D Higgins said Sheehan was an “outstanding” example of Irish musical success on the world stage.

“It was a mark of the originality and excellence that Mark and his bandmates in The Script sought that they saw such success across the world, including six number one albums in the UK and a number three album in the United States - a truly remarkable achievement,” he said.

Contemporaries of Sheehan’s in the entertainment industry were quick to honour his memory.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Irish presenter Laura Whitmore wrote: “Thinking of you all at this time. “Mark was one of the nicest and most talented men you could meet.”

Sheehan was born on 29 October 1976 in Dublin in Mount Brown in The Liberties area, and was married to Reena Sheehan with whom he had three children.

He was a singer, songwriter and guitarist, and passionate about music from a young age.

From 1996-2001 he was a member of the band Mytown, alongside The Script’s frontman O’Donoghue.

The Script started in Dublin in 2001 with Sheehan as guitarist, O’Donoghue as singer songwriter and Power as drummer.

In 2013, The Script had a brush with royalty, when the Queen visited the BBC’s Broadcasting House and watched a performance by The Script, briefly chatting with singer O’Donoghue.

Sheehan said when he was told about the royal engagement, he thought “people were playing a joke on us”. The Script are scheduled to support the American artist P!nk during her European tour later this year.