A longtime guitarist for a fan-favorite indie rock band has died, just days after the group dropped their latest album.
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Irvine, Scotland’s Trashcan Sinatras announced the news in a social media post on Tuesday (Aug. 5), sharing that John Douglas, a member of the band since 1987, passed away peacefully on Monday “after a brief illness.”
“We are devastated to inform all of you that we have lost our dear friend and brother John after a brief illness,” Trashcan Sinatras members Francis Reader, Paul Livingston, Stephen Douglas, and Davy Hughes wrote alongside a photo of Douglas. “He died peacefully in the early hours of Monday the 3rd August 2026, surrounded by loved ones, his beautiful voice and songs filling the room.”
The sad news comes just four days after the release of Ever the Optimist, the band’s first full-length album in a decade.
Trashcan Sinatras formed in Irvine, Scotland, in 1986, with Douglas and guitarist Paul Livingston joining the following year. Their first three albums earned strong reviews and charted in the UK, and the band continued to release music throughout the years.
Fans Mourn the Loss of John Douglas
Outside of Trashcan Sinatras, Douglas was a respected songwriter and collaborator. He wrote “Wild Mountainside” for Eddi Reader, who recorded it for her acclaimed 2003 album Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns. He also wrote “Should I Pray?” and “Prisons” for her 2007 album Peacetime, both of which later joined the Trashcan Sinatras catalogue. Douglas and Reader married in 2013.
According to Noise11, after his marriage, Douglas underwent surgery and an extended recovery for ulcerative colitis. He continued to perform and record, including acoustic tours with the band across North America. In 2023, Douglas released a self-titled solo album.
Meanwhile, fans are sharing their grief in the comments section to the rock group’s announcement of Douglas’s passing.
“This hits hard. From the emotional high of a new album to the sadness of this news. His passing is bitter, but knowing he will always live on in the music is comforting,” one top comment read.
“This has truly broken me. 💔John was the heart of TCS,” a second fan wrote.
“A wonderful human being. The saddest loss. Love you all,” a third fan added.
John Douglas was 63.