How did Van Conner die? Tributes pour in as Screaming Trees co-founder and Bassist passes away at 55

Well-known musician Van Conner passed away from pneumonia on January 17 at the age of 55. His brother Gary Lee wrote on Facebook that he was very close to Van and that he would always miss him.

In a Facebook post on January 6, Gary revealed that Conner was hospitalized earlier this month due to a liver infection and other health issues he was diagnosed with around two years ago. Gary mentioned that Van had to undergo stomach surgery in 2021, due to which he was in a coma and could not walk for some time. Gary continued,

Gary wrote that Van Conner initially did not agree to get any medical help, but he was hopeful that things would improve as he was at the hospital. Gary requested everyone to send their best wishes and pray for Conner.

Netizens pay tribute to Van Conner on Twitter

Van Conner gained recognition as a member of Screaming Trees. Tary Daly of KISW paid tribute to Conner on Facebook and wrote that she “had a blast getting to know him these past few years.” She added,

Fans of Conner immediately expressed their grief on Twitter when they heard about his demise:

Van Conner was a bassist in the rock band Screaming Trees

Born on March 17, 1967, Van Conner established a group called Explosive Generation in high school. The group's name was later changed to Screaming Trees. The rest of the members included Mark Lanegan, Gary Lee Conner, Mark Pickerel, Barrett Martin, and Josh Homme.

Screaming Trees released their debut album, Clairvoyance, in 1986, followed by Even If and Especially When in 1987 and Invisible Lantern and Buzz Factory in 1988 and 1989. After a short break, the group released another album, Uncle Anesthesia, in January 1991, followed by Sweet Oblivion in September 1992 and Dust in June 1996.

Their latest album, Last Words: The Final Recordings, was released in June 2011. The album was recorded long ago but was not released due to the band’s split in 2000.

Screaming Trees released three compilation albums titled Anthology: SST Years 1985-1989, Nearly Lost You, and Ocean of Confusion: Songs of Screaming Trees 1990-1996. They also released five EPs between 1985 and 1992 and seven singles.

Van Conner also played for Dinosaur Jr. After leaving Screaming Trees, he was involved in the formation of different other bands.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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