U2 singer Bono has described tour manager Dennis Sheehan who died suddenly on Wednesday morning as "irreplaceable".
The band are still coming to terms with the shock of Mr Sheehan’s death. He died of a suspected heart attack in his hotel room in Los Angeles.
He was found by members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department at the Hotel Marquis in west Hollywood.
“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,” Bono said.
Mr Sheehan's death is the third major bereavement around the band this year. In February their long time spiritual mentor Pastor Jack Heaslip died and drummer Larry Mullen's father died just before they started their iNNOCENCE + eXPRIENCE world tour in Vancouver earlier this month.
U2's promoter Arthur Fogel, the head of Live Nation, said the news of Mr Sheehan's death caused "profound sadness" to all those who knew him. "Our heartfelt sympathy is with his wonderful family," he said.
Mr Sheehan (68) was found dead at 5.40am local time (1.40pm Irish time) on Wednesday, May 27th. He is thought to have died of a suspected heart attack.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed they responded to a cardiac arrest call at the hotel.
His sudden death occurred after the first of the band’s five nights at the Los Angeles Forum as part of their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE world tour.
Mr Sheehan has been with U2 since 1982. He was born in Ireland but grew up in Wolverhampton. In 2008 he was given a Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award in Las Vegas for his long-term work with U2.
He started playing in bands as a youngster in his teens before becoming a roadie. He worked with Led Zeppelin during the 1970s when they were the biggest band in the world and learned how to deal with large stadium tours.
He was approached by U2’s early producer Robbie McGrath to manage the band just as their career was taking off. In 1984 Mr Sheehan predicted they would be one of the biggest bands in the world.
“There is something extremely special about U2. Whether it be in their social lives, which they are very particular about, or in their business life, which they are also particular about – they go for the best, and in turn the people that work for them give of their best,” he said.
