RIP

U2’s tour manager of more than three decades, Dennis Sheehan, has died after suffering a heart attack in his hotel room in Los Angeles. Mr Sheehan, who was 68, was described as a “legend” by lead singer Bono, who said he was “irreplaceable” and like a “family member”. He also worked with acts including Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Lou Reed during his long career. 

​Dean Schachtel, General manager of Ronnie James Dio’s label and management company, Niji Entertainment Group, passed away suddenly at the age of 49 on May 18, Billboard has confirmed.

Late Of The Pier drummer Ross Dawson has been killed in a "very sudden and tragic accident", his family have announced. As well as writing and playing his own material Ross was a drummer with many other successful artists including Misty Miller, Kai Fish and most recently Zibra.

Ornette Coleman

Ornette Coleman, the musician, saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, composer and pioneer of free jazz has died. He was 85. 

Flesh For Lulu’s Nick Marsh passed away on June 5, 2015. His family said "Sadly, Nick lost his fight this morning. He passed peacefully away, with Kat by his side holding his hand. A massive thank you to everyone who has shown support, in so many ways, to Nick, Kat and their beautiful girls. We’ve lost a good’un." Nick was just 53. He’d been fighting cancer since being diagnosed in 2014, and was moved to hospice care earlier his week after the disease was found to be inoperable. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Marsh came to prominence in the 1980s with alt-rock band Flesh For Lulu before becoming part of The Urban Voodoo Machine in 2003. He was also a member of From The Deep with his wife Kat (Katharine Blake of Miranda Sex Garden and The Medieaval Baebes). More here.

Easy listening star James Last has died following a brief period of illness. He was 86.

Beggars Group boss Martin Mills has paid tribute to Pete Edwards, the former tour manager and sound man for Bauhaus and others, who died last weekend. In a post on his company's website Mills wrote: "We've just received the very sad news that our dear Pete Edwards passed away over the weekend, after a long illness. Pete Edwards, aka Plug The Roadie, originally came to us through, and worked with, The Lurkers, our very first band, and went on to tour the world as tour manager and sound man for Bauhaus and Love And Rockets, becoming legendary in the process".