Mark Sheehan, the guitarist and co-founder of the Irish rock group The Script, has passed away.

The band revealed that the 46-year-old passed away on Friday in a hospital after a brief illness.

Along with drummer Glen Power and vocalist Danny O’Donoghue, Sheehan founded the band in 2001.

Sheehan was described as a “much loved husband, father, brother, band mate, and friend” in a statement posted on the group’s social media pages.

It requested that supporters respect his family’s and his bandmates’ privacy.

Sheehan’s colleagues in the entertainment sector were eager to pay tribute to him.

Irish personality Laura Whitmore wrote: “Thinking of you all at this time in a statement posted on Instagram.

One of the sweetest and most gifted persons you could meet was Mark.

The Irish pop band Jedward paid tribute to Mark in an Instagram post, writing: “Everyone in the Irish music industry and worldwide mourn your loss RIP Mark such a talented musician from The Script one of the most iconic Irish groups of our generation.”

Kodaline, another Irish rock band, also paid respects by tweeting: “So sorry to hear (of) the passing of Mark Sheehan.”

Sheehan, according to Michael D. Higgins, the president of Ireland, is a “outstanding” illustration of Irish musical accomplishment on a global scale.

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

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

He was a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who had a lifelong passion for music.

Alongside O’Donoghue, the lead singer of The Script, he was a member of the band Mytown from 1996 until 2001.

The Script was founded in 2001 in Dublin by Sheehan on guitar, O’Donoghue on vocals, and Power on drums.

Following the securing of a record deal with Sony Music Group, the band relocated to London.

They first complete album, “We Cry,” which peaked at number one in both Ireland and the UK, was published there.

Following that, Science & Faith, #3, and No Sound Without Silence, all of their subsequent albums, debuted at the top of the charts in both nations.

Science & Faith peaked at number two in Australia and number three in the US.

Since then, the band has kept up its global touring and album releases, fusing pop-rock elements with Irish themes.

They have a reputation for writing songs that are sincere, such as “If You Could See Me Now,” which deals with the deaths of the parents of singer O’Donoghue and Sheehan.

Over the past year, many have questioned why Sheehan took a brief sabbatical from performing.

Sheehan missed the band’s tour of the US in 2022. The bandmate had taken a break to spend time with his family, O’Donoghue told the reporters.

He defined the group as “a band of brothers” that “stick together no matter what” and said that they were in support of Sheehan’s choice in Sunday World.

When the Queen visited the BBC’s Broadcasting House in 2013 and attended a concert by The Script, she briefly chatted with singer O’Donoghue.

When he heard of the royal engagement, Sheehan claimed he believed “people were playing a joke on us.”

Later this year, the British band The Script will tour with American singer P!nk in Europe.

The post Guitarist Mark Sheehan of The Script passes away at age 46 appeared first on .