Overview
- The Radio 2 interview, which took place on Wednesday, forced presenter Vernon Kay to pause the show after he became visibly emotional while speaking with Danny O'Donoghue.
- O'Donoghue said he now sings 'If You Could See Me Now' as a direct tribute to his late bandmate Mark Sheehan and praised Sheehan as one of the band's key songwriters whose lyrics are taught at Berklee College of Music.
- He described slipping into heavy drinking and smoking after Sheehan's death in April 2023 and said a large drinking session over Christmas 2023 led him to quit alcohol and other substances in January to face his grief sober.
- The raw on-air moment highlighted how public figures process grief and how men talking openly about loss can prompt strong emotional responses from friends and audiences.
- Sheehan was The Script's guitarist and principal lyricist and his 2023 death struck the band that emerged from Dublin in 2001, a loss that helps explain why O'Donoghue's comments and the song now carry renewed significance for fans.