Frightened Rabbit Frontman Scott Hutchison Found Dead At 36
Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison has passed away.
On Friday, May 11, 2018, Scottish police identified a body found at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at Port Edgar near South Queensferry as Hutchison, BBC News reports. The Scottish indie band's lead singer and guitarist had been reported missing earlier in the week. He was 36 years old.
At the time of this writing, a cause of death has not been released.
Hutchison's bandmates have since confirmed the sad news in a moving message to their fans on Instagram. "There are no words to describe the overwhelming sadness and pain that comes with the death of our beloved Scott but to know he is no longer suffering brings us some comfort," they wrote in a all-text post. "Reading messages of support and hope from those he has helped through his art has helped immensely and we encourage you to continue doing this."
Their message continued, "He will be missed by all of us and his absence will always be felt but he leaves a legacy of hope, kindness and colour that will forever be remembered and shared. Rest peacefully Scott."
Hutchison's family also released a statement to the publication, in which they described the singer-songwriter as "passionate, articulate and charismatic, as well as being one of the funniest and kindest people [they] knew." They added, "Friends and family would all agree that he had a brilliant sense of humour and was a great person to be around."
The family went on to praise Hutchison, who often spoke openly about his battle with depression, for raising awareness about mental health issues over the years. They added, "Depression is a horrendous illness that does not give you any alert or indication as to when it will take hold of you."
Hutchison had gone missing early Wednesday morning, May 9. "Be so good to everyone you love. It's not a given. I'm so annoyed that it's not. I didn't live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones," he had tweeted to his followers the previous evening, adding, "I'm away now. Thanks."
After news of his death broke, a number of musicians and fans took to social media to share their thoughts and express their condolences. Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol called Hutchison "one of Scotland's most extraordinary song writers" in a tribute on Instagram, while Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos tweeted, "Awful news about Scott Hutchison. A terrible loss."
Frightened Rabbit, which also features Hutchison's brother Grant on drums, formed in 2003 and released its debut album, Sing the Greys, three years later. They went on to release four more albums, including 2016's Painting of a Panic Attack. Meanwhile, 2014 saw the release of Hutchison's solo debut, which he recorded under the name Owl John.
Our thoughts are with Hutchison's loved ones during this difficult time.