Script frontman Danny O’Donoghue has opened up about getting back to ‘drinking, smoking… everything’ following the death of his bandmate Mark Sheehan in 2023.
Lead guitarist Mark, who formed the band with Danny and drummer Glen Power in 2001, died in hospital on April 14 last year from an undisclosed illness.
His friend of 30 years and lead singer of The Script, Danny, 43, appeared on Lorraine on Wednesday, where he opened up about dealing with Mark’s death.
Danny revealed that he “went off the rails” after Mark’s death, turning to drinking and smoking while experiencing a mental block.
But after a heavy drinking session in his native Ireland over Christmas, the singer decided to give up alcohol and “face the pain completely sober.”
Script frontman Danny O’Donoghue has spoken about turning to ‘drinking, smoking, everything’ following the death of his bandmate Mark Sheehan in 2023 in Lorraine on Wednesday.
Lead guitarist Mark passed away in hospital on April 14 last year due to an undisclosed illness (Mark pictured in 2014)
As a result of his sobriety, Danny overcame the songwriter’s block he had been experiencing and began writing new music, with an album by The Script set to be released in August.
Since Mark’s passing, Danny said they have “retired the trio” and the band has recruited two new members, making it a four-piece.
Speaking of his grief after Mark’s death, Danny said: “I went off the rails after Mark passed away, like everyone does. I was drinking, smoking, everything and I went through a mental block.
He later said: “I came back from a big drinking session over Christmas in Ireland and I just said, ‘Enough is enough.’ I want to face the pain cold and sober because if you don’t, you’ll just be kicking it down the street.
‘January was important for me: I stopped drinking, smoking, caffeine, all the good things… I was only going to do it during January, but now it’s May and I feel better than ever.
“I feel like I’m starting to come out of the black cloud a little bit now, hence the new music.”
The Script’s new single Both Ways was released earlier this month, but Danny said it took him a while to be able to write music after losing Mark.
“Last year I had writer’s block for a long time,” he said. “It was only around Christmas that I came up with these lyrics… and it was the first time I was able to really articulate what I was feeling about the situation and the floodgates really opened.”
Danny and Mark were friends for almost 30 years and wrote their songs together, he said, adding poignantly that the guitarist lives on through music.
Mark formed the band with Danny and drummer Glen Power in 2001 (pictured at Jingle Ball 2011)
Danny, 43, a friend of Mark for 30 years and lead singer of The Script, appeared on Lorraine on Wednesday, where he spoke about dealing with his death.
Since Mark’s passing, Danny said they had “retired the trio” and the band has recruited two new members, making it a four-piece (pictured, Danny and Mark in 2013).
Danny and Mark were friends for almost 30 years and wrote their songs together, he said, adding poignantly that the guitarist lives on through music (Mark pictured in 2017).
He said, ‘What is our legacy? I don’t have kids, so for me it’s my music, but for him, it’s his kids and his family and also what he’s done for Irish music.
“He’s a great lyricist and we’re never going to take his place.” Why would we even want to try?
Danny explained the band’s new line-up as a four-piece before adding: ‘It’s not the past; We will never repeat that, but it is a new chapter for The Script moving forward.”
In 2021, Mark took time away from the band, missing almost a year of concerts to spend more time with his wife Rita and children, whom he kept out of the spotlight.
“His children needed a father and his wife needed a husband,” singer Danny O’Donoghue, 42, said at the time.
The Script formed in Dublin in 2001, with Mark on guitar, Glen on drums and Danny singing (pictured in 2017)
The Script’s new single Both Ways was released earlier this month, but Danny said it took him a while to be able to write music after losing Mark (the band pictured in 2013).
In 2021, Mark took time away from the band, missing almost a year of concerts to spend more time with his wife Rita and children, whom he kept out of the spotlight (pictured, Mark and Rita).
He went on to say that it was ‘the best thing that could have happened’ and the musician returned to the trio ‘renewed’.
The Script formed in Dublin in 2001, with Mark on guitar, Glen on drums and Danny singing.
They went on to sell 20 million records worldwide, including The man who cannot be moved, for the first time, we cry and Hall of Fame.
Watch Lorraine weekdays from 9am on ITV1 and ITVX.