Musician Gared O’Donnell has died at the age of 44 after a battle with oesophageal cancer.
Gared’s Planes Mistaken For Stars bandmates took to the group’s official Instagram page to confirm the tragic news.
They penned: “It is impossible to express the depth of sorrow in which we must announce that Gared O’Donnell, our brother, our leader, our captain, who has done more to cultivate love and light in this world than any of us can understand, has moved on from his physical form here with us and crossed the rainbow bridge into the eternal ether.
“In his final days/hours, he was surrounded by the love of his family, his friends, his bandmates, and many others from afar.”
Gared opened up about his cancer diagnosis in August last year as he launched a GoFundMe page to help with his treatment.
The band’s statement went on to reveal that they hoped to release new music Gared was working during the last year of his life.
They said: “Gared spent the last year of his life doing exactly what he loved, writing and recording music. We are currently working hard to bring these multiple final projects to completion.
“It is heartbreaking to do this without him, but we know that he would want for us to complete what we had started together. We will do our absolute best to honour his legacy and spread word of the legend that he embodied.”
Since the news of O’Donnell’s death was shared, tributes have been pouring in on social media.
(Image: Instagram)
Taking to Twitter, one person penned: “Very sorry to hear of Gared O’Donnell’s passing. I was going to see Planes Mistaken for Stars live for the first time this year at Fest until they had to cancel, and was excited about it.”
Another added: “RIP to Gared O’Donnell, one of only a few people to ever make music that has legitimately scared me.”
A third person posted: “Very sad to hear about the passing of Planes Mistaken for Stars’ Gared O’Donnell.
(Image: Instagram)
“Met him when they played the Limelight in Belfast (supporting The Ataris, lol) and he was an exceptionally nice guy and very generous with his time. Still one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.”
While a fourth social media user said: “Really sad to hear that Gared O’Donnell has died. Planes Mistaken For Stars music means a lot to me.”
Planes Mistaken For Stars formed in Illinois in 1997, releasing debut album ‘Fuck With Fire’ in 2001.
The band went on hiatus between 2006-2010, before O’Donnell made his final album with the band, ‘Prey’, in 2016.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
