U2 Tour Manager Dennis Sheehan Passes Away

Legendary Irish rock band U2 have been hitting a lot of rough patches recently. First Bono breaks his arm while riding bike, then the Edge falls off ... the edge ... of the stage at the first night of their Innocence + Experience tour earlier this month. Today, some decidedly more somber news related to the band has come to light: Longtime tour manager Dennis Sheehan passed away in Los Angeles this morning (May 27). He was in his 60s.

TMZ reported that Sheehan was found unconscious in his room at the Sunset Marquis Hotel at about 5:30AM by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. They also reported that paramedics were called to Sheehan's room for a reported cardiac arrest, and that he was pronounced dead on the scene. Sheehan was in L.A. with the band as U2 began a stretch of five shows at the Forum.

Sheehan had worked with U2 since 1982, and has also worked with famed figures like Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, among others. He was awarded the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, a major honor in the live event industry.

In a post on U2’s official website, Bono honors Sheehan: "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."

Below, watch Sheehan discuss what life on the road as a tour manager is like in an interview from 2013:

Diffuser would like to extend our deepest condolences to Sheehan's friends and family, and to the entire U2 family as well.