John Douglas, guitarist of the Trashcan Sinatras, has died at 62

John Douglas, guitarist and vocalist of the Scottish indie rock band Trashcan Sinatras, has died at 62, the group announced on social media on August 4. "We are devastated to inform all of you that we have lost our dear friend and brother John after a brief illness," wrote bandmates Francis Reader, Paul Livingston, Stephen Douglas and Davy Hughes, saying he died peacefully in the early hours of August 3, "surrounded by loved ones, his beautiful voice and songs filling the room." Pitchfork initially reported his age as 63, based on the band's own announcement, then corrected it to 62.

Douglas was born in Irvine, Scotland, on December 3, 1963, and joined the Trashcan Sinatras shortly after the band's founding in 1986, completing a five-piece lineup with his brother Stephen, Paul Livingston, Francis Reader and Davy Hughes that stayed unchanged for the next four decades. He played guitar across each of the group's seven studio albums, including the 1993 fan favorite I've Seen Everything, and released a self-titled solo debut album in 2024. He was married to the Scottish singer Eddi Reader, making his bandmate Francis Reader his brother-in-law.

The news came four days after the Trashcan Sinatras released Ever the Optimist, their first full-length album in a decade, on July 31. The band had previewed the record with footage of a one-off 40th-anniversary reunion show at Irvine's Harbour Arts Centre, the first time all five members had played together in nearly seven years. "The show was very heart warming just to be with the guys in the room," Douglas told Spill Magazine of the reunion, adding that for him, songs are best when you are in a room playing them and watching what they mean to someone else.

Douglas had spoken about the band's staying power for years. In a 2017 interview with AXS, he reflected on watching the music business change around Trashcan Sinatras while the group's own chemistry held steady. "The one constant thing is our own dynamic hasn't changed," he said, adding that when they were happy with their songs, they were happy with their lives, and that the fans who found the band's records had stuck with them. Neither Pitchfork nor NME reported a cause of death, though Under the Radar noted that Douglas had beaten cancer years earlier.

Tributes poured in from fans on social media after the announcement, with NME reporting messages praising his talent and kindness. The reunited five-piece had not played together in years before the anniversary show, and remained one of the more enduring acts in indie rock; no further tour plans or funeral details had been announced as of the reports.