Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison Dead at 36

Scott Hutchison, frontman of Scottish indie rock band Frightened Rabbit, has died, the BBC reports. He was 36. Hutchison’s family reported him missing to Scottish police on Wednesday after he failed to return to his hotel in South Queensferry, Scotland. The following night, his body was found at Port Edgar, near South Queensferry, at around 8:30 p.m. Police confirmed the body as Hutchison on Friday morning. Scotland’s First Minister is among those to have paid tribute.

Hutchison's family said they were “utterly devastated with the tragic loss of our beloved Scott,” the BBC reports. In a statement, the surviving members of the band wrote, "There are no words to describe the overwhelming sadness and pain that comes with the death of our beloved Scott but to know he is no longer suffering brings us some comfort.”

Scott Hutchison began performing solo under the Frightened Rabbit moniker in 2003. “I thought of Frightened Rabbit because it was a nickname given to me by my mum when I was younger. I was incredibly shy as a child, almost chronically so,” he recalled to SPIN in 2010. The band, which included Hutchison’s brother Grant on drums, released their debut, Sing the Greys, in 2006. They released four more studio LPs over the following decade, with the most recent, Painting of a Panic Attack, arriving in 2016. The band was planning to host a festival in Glasgow on June 1 called The First Incident.

Outside of Frightened Rabbit, Scott Hutchison released a 2014 solo album under the name Owl John. Hutchison was also part of the Scottish collective Fruit Tree Foundation, who issued one record, First Edition, in 2011. The group was founded in association with the UK’s Mental Health Foundation, with the stated aim to “raise awareness of mental health and challenge perceptions of mental health problems by creating great art.” And earlier this year, Hutchison released Dance Music, the debut from Mastersystem, a new band with his brother Grant, as well as members of Editors and Minor Victories.

On Wednesday, May 9, Frightened Rabbit's social media accounts posted a message asking for fans to alert Scottish police if they had any information about Hutchison’s whereabouts. “We are worried about Scott, who has been missing for a little while now,” it said. “He may be in a fragile state and may not be making the best decisions for himself right now.”

The previous night, Hutchison had tweeted from his Owl John Twitter account, “Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones. I’m away now. Thanks.”

On “Floating in the Forth,” a song on Frightened Rabbit's 2008 album The Midnight Organ Fight, Hutchison sang about imagining dying in Scotland's River Forth. It included the lyrics, “Am I ready to leap? / Is there peace beneath / The roar of the Forth Road Bridge?” and “I think I'll save suicide for another year.” Hutchison's body was found last night on the banks of the River Forth, near the Forth Road Bridge, according to the BBC.

Remembrances poured in from fellow musicians, including Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch, Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, the National’s Aaron Dessner (who produced Frightened Rabbit’s last album) and his brother Bryce, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, alt-J, and more. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also Tweeted a tribute.

The Mirror reports that a statement released by Hutchison's family via Police Scotland read:

As a family, we are utterly devastated with the tragic loss of our beloved Scott. Despite his disappearance, and the recent concerns over his mental health, we had all remained positive and hopeful that he would walk back through the door, having taken some time away to compose himself. Scott, like many artists, wore his heart on his sleeve and that was evident in the lyrics of his music and the content of many of his social media posts. He was passionate, articulate and charismatic, as well as being one of the funniest and kindest people we knew. Friends and family would all agree that he had a brilliant sense of humour and was a great person to be around.

In addition to his musical success, Scott was a wonderful son, brother, uncle and friend. Despite whatever else was going on in his life he always had time for those he cared for. Depression is a horrendous illness that does not give you any alert or indication as to when it will take hold of you. Scott battled bravely with his own issues for many years and we are immensely proud of him for being so open with his struggles. His willingness to discuss these matters in the public domain undoubtedly raised awareness of mental health issues and gave others confidence and belief to discuss their own issues.

To all of those who have come forward with such kind messages of support over the past couple of days, we wish to express our most sincerest of thanks. We have been overwhelmed by the love that has been conveyed, not only to Scott, but to our family. It means the world to us. We also want to thank Police Scotland and the Dakota Hotel for all of their assistance since Wednesday. We now ask that our privacy be respected so that we may come to terms with our loss.

This article was originally published on Friday, May 11 at 7:18 a.m. ET. It was last updated on at 1:40 p.m. ET.