It’s been two years to the day since Mark Lanegan passed.
No cause of death was revealed to the public. He had suffered a near-fatal infection of Covid-19 in March 2021, which put him into a coma for months, as well as leaving him temporarily without the use of his legs and his hearing.
A veteran of the Seattle grunge scene, Lanegan first fronted the Screaming Trees, a band he freely admitted to despising. Amongst other projects, he was a hugely influential contributor to Queens’s of the Stone Age’s golden era of musicianship. He released two critically acclaimed albums with Isobel Campbell in the late 2000s. He was also a prolific solo artist, releasing 12 albums over the decades.
I heartily recommend his autobiography, Sing Backwards and Weep, for it’s unflinching, sometimes hilarious, mostly ghastly depiction of being both a heroin addict and a musician touring the world.
He finished his autobiography stating he would not write another, even though it was a story only halfway told. I’d always hoped he would change his mind but now sadly, he cannot tell us the rest.
Listen to his voice, and lament who we have lost.
Take care of yourselves, everyone, and have a fine day!