Mark Sheehan of The Script died in April 2023. But 16 months feels like forever and no time at all when grieving the passing of a loved one. 

When it is your best friend, business associate and shared recipient of your dreams, how do you navigate your way without falling apart? 

Danny O’Donoghue who formed The Script with Mark has had to do that. 

They had known each other since they were 12, formulated their plan for stardom after the breakup of Mytown, the boyband in which they performed, moved to Los Angeles, learned how to produce and honed their skills as writers composing songs for Britney Spears, Boyz II Men and TLC.

They returned to Ireland, enlisted drummer Glen Power and formed The Script and went on to sell out stadiums in the group in which they performed for half their lives. 

Then in the spring of last year, Sheehan was hospitalised after a short illness. To the devastation of his family, fans and bandmates, he died within days. He was just 46 years of age.

On the day before their new album, Satellites, was released Danny spoke about the loss of his friend, co-writer and bandmate.

‘It’s very tough, man. I still haven’t come to terms with it,’ he said.

‘Around release time it was always the two of us, thick as thieves making sure we’d crossed every t, dotted all the i’s and done all the last-minute things. Every day I’m triggered with something. Saying you’re going to continue is one thing, the act of picking a cross up and walking with it is another. It’s very heavy.’

Navigating the Grief

Tragedy and loss visits us all but wreathes of bereavement have characterised the individual members of The Script, with parents dying before their time in all their cases.

Mark’s father died when Mark was just 14 and his mother died in 2006. Danny’s father died at 63 and 10 years later in 2019, Danny’s mother and Glen’s father died in the same year.

‘I wish every single one of them was back but that is life,’ Danny said.

‘There are so many things that are interlinked. If Mark’s mum hadn’t fallen ill we wouldn’t have flown back to Ireland and recorded those songs for our first album in James’s Street.’ 

‘I wouldn’t have got to spend time with my own dad. Meanwhile, he was looking after his mum. Six months after that, my dad then passed away. Plenty of songs were written about each one of those events and each one of those songs has propelled us onto a once-in-a-lifetime career.’

‘To talk about my mum and dad passing away openly hurts a lot. I tend to shy away from it or at least not keep it in the forefront of my mind. I go to my dad’s grave when I feel like it.’

‘With Mark, it’s a whole different thing; he is a celebrated guy. How dare I not want to chat about him every day? It’s very hard to get the balance right.’

Healing Through Music

One particular song on the album, Gone, addresses how Danny feels about this incalculable loss. 

He concedes that it took him a long time to be able to encapsulate that in a song but one of which he is immensely proud.

‘I had to go through eight months of therapy before that song came out of me,’ he said.

‘Then the lyric arrived fully formed: “Like a shooting star across the sky. In a second you were gone. Why do stars that light up twice as bright only burn for half as long?” If I heard that on a Dylan song or a U2 song or a Coldplay song, that would sound like a golden lyric to me. I would play it to all of my heroes, and say, ‘there, that’s what I’m trying to say.’

Love in the Midst of Loss

Another song, At Your Feet, is about his girlfriend Anais Naing. 

A couple of days after we spoke it was announced that they had become engaged. ‘At Your Feet is about my girlfriend helping to get me through the last year and a half,’ he says. ‘We’ve been together for five and a half years now. She has helped me get through the hardest part of my life and she still continues to.’

‘The Script will continue, because I believe Mark is saying to me, “Don’t grieve my loss, celebrate my life”. That’s what the album is trying to do. That’s why we’re out playing again. We’re keeping Mark’s legacy going. This has happened in the middle of our career so I’ll take all his hopes and dreams and carry them around my neck up to the top of the mountain.’  

Continuing the Legacy

The Script’s decision to continue their career after Sheehan’s death is a testament to their bond and their commitment to his legacy. O’Donoghue’s words reflect a profound understanding of grief, the power of music, and the importance of carrying on in the face of loss. Their upcoming tour, which combines new songs with fan favorites, promises to be a celebration of their career and a tribute to their fallen friend. The Script’s journey is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, music can provide solace, healing, and a path forward.

Reporting by Danny McElhinney