U2’s tour manager was found dead in an LA hotel room just as the band kicked off their 5-day stint at the Forum in the city. Their manager, who’d been with the band since 1982, was Dennis Sheehan. He was 68 years old.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Died of a ‘Massive Heart Attack’
TMZ reports that Sheehan was found dead at the Sunset Marquis Hotel at 1200 Alta Loma Road at around 5:30 a.m. on May 27. The gossip site calls the cause of death a “cardiac arrest,” with ABC Los Angeles saying it was a “massive heart attack.” He was pronounced dead at the scene.
2. Bono Called Sheehan a ‘Legend in Our Band’
(Getty)
Bono released a statement via U2’s website saying “We’ve lost a family member, we’re still taking it in. He wasn’t just a legend in the music business, he was a legend in our band. He is irreplaceable.” Also on the site, Arthur Fogel, CEO Global Touring, Chairman Global Music Live Nation Global Touring said “With profound sadness we confirm that Dennis Sheehan, U2’s longstanding tour manager and dear friend to us all, has passed away overnight. Our heartfelt sympathy is with his wonderful family.” Sheehan had worked with U2 since 1982. According to Sheehan’s Twitter account, he was present at U2 bassist Adam Clayton’s wedding to Mariana Teixeira in 2013.
3. His Advice Was for People to Put Their ‘Heart & Soul’ Into Work
(Screengrab via YouTube)
In addition to working with U2, Sheehan had been a well known face in music, managing tours for acts including Madonna, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. In Sheehan’s profile on a U2 fan site, it says that he’s a native of Ireland and began working with bands in England during the 1960s. One of those groups was Led Zeppelin. When the band didn’t tour in 1979, he began to expand his horizons eventually finding his way to working with U2 and their manager Paul McGuinness. The U2 site quotes his motto as being “Act on everything that needs to be done straightway. Never wait. Trust your instinct and put your heart and soul into your work, your life and your colleagues and your friends.”
4. He Received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 at the ‘Oscars of Live Events’
(Twitter)
In 2008, Sheehan was honored with a Parnelli Lifetime Achievement award for his work in the entertainment industry. The Parnelli Awards are considered the “Oscars of the Live Event,” according to Variety. Fellow tour manager, Jake Berry, said about Sheehan at the time “Dennis is a great, hardworking, and loyal Tour Manager who always has everyone’s best interest at heart all the time. I think it’s his enthusiasm and love of the industry that has enabled him to maintain the breakneck speed that the job requires for all these years.”
5. U2 Have Been Moving From One Tragedy to the Next Lately
This is the latest setback to hit U2, just a month ago guitarist The Edge fell off the stage in Vancouver and last year, Bono suffered debilitating injuries after crashing his push-bike in Central Park.