U2’s Tour Manager, Dennis Sheehan, Found Dead

U2’s tour manager, Dennis Sheehan, has been found dead. According to the Associated Press, the longtime tour manager was found hours after U2 started their Los Angeles leg of their tour. Sheehan, who was in his late 60s, was found at the Sunset Strip hotel located in West Hollywood.

U2’s right hand man was at the band’s side for over three decades. Despite his death, sources close to the band say that the show must go on, and the rest of the dates will go on in his memory.

First responders at the scene said they had received a call about a man that was in cardiac arrest, and when they got on the scene, he was pronounced dead.

Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel put out a statement in the wake of Sheehan’s death. “Dennis always got the band on stage, pretty much on time. We’re going to make sure we do that tonight, in his memory. It is absolutely what he would have wanted.”

He continued, “With profound sadness we confirm that Dennis Sheehan, U2’s longstanding tour manager and dear friend to us all has passed away,” Fogel said. “Our heartfelt sympathy is with his wonderful family.”

Bono, U2’s frontman, released a statement in the wake of Dennis’ death. “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.”

Back in 2013, Sheehan said of his past before U2, “I played in a school band when I was 13 to when I was 19. At 19 in a half I took my first job in the other side of the business. I worked as a tour manager, which was very basic, you did sound and you got the band where they needed to be.”

In addition to being a tour manager to U2, Sheehan was an assistant tour manager to Led Zeppelin, and worked for Arista records outside of London for Iggy Pop and Patti Smith.

Zeppelin’s Robert Plant remembered Dennis, having said, “Dennis traveled with me as we approached the end game of Led Zeppelin, his charm and humor a beacon in the meltdown of the late-’70s. He ironed my green satin flares with a straight face and helped me reacquaint with the gift of speech every morning after!”

He continued as follows.

“I loved him like the impish brother that he was. Time is vicious — we move too fast to spend it with the people who really matter.”

[Photo by Samir Hussein / Getty Images]