Van Conner, a well-known musician, died of pneumonia on January 17th, at the age of 55. Gary Lee, Van’s brother, said on Facebook that he was extremely close to Van and will always miss him. He stated in a Facebook post on January 6 that Conner was hospitalized earlier this month for a liver infection and other health conditions he was diagnosed with around two years ago. Gary added that Van underwent stomach surgery in 2021, which put him in a stupor and prevented him from walking for a while. Gary went on to say,
“While he was healing he took Covid which resulted in a blood clot in his lung. He could hardly walk after recuperating from Covid, and his lungs were severely injured. He’s been in a hospital bed at home for many months and seems to be making little progress toward recovery.”
He said that Van Conner originally refused to seek medical attention, but he was optimistic that things might change while he was in the hospital. Gary asked that everyone express their best wishes and prayers to Conner.
On Twitter, people pay respect to Van Conner.
Van Conner rose to prominence as a member of Screaming Trees. On Facebook, Tary Daly of KISW paid homage to Conner, writing that she “had a ball getting to know him these last several years.” She went on to say,
“He was always extremely kind to me, and we could speak about music and life for hours. He and Brad were playing with pals at our apartment the last time we were together, and I’ll remember that mood forever.”
When fans learned of Conner’s death, they instantly took to Twitter to express their sorrow:
RIP Van Conner // Screaming Trees
March 17, 1967 – January 17, 2023 🌹🕯 pic.twitter.com/g9t4AZxtFZ
— grunge pics (@daily_grunge) January 18, 2023
Rest easy Van ❤️.#screamingtrees#VanConner @mtpickerel @dinosaurjr pic.twitter.com/osPopK6LBA
— Easy Street Records (@EasyStRecords) January 18, 2023
Van Conner was a member of the Screaming Trees rock band.
Van Conner, who was born on March 17, 1967, founded the Explosive Generation in high school. The name of the band was eventually changed to Screaming Trees. Mark Lanegan, Gary Lee Conner, Mark Pickerel, Barrett Martin, and Josh Homme completed the lineup.
Clairvoyance, Screaming Trees’ first album, was released in 1986, followed by Even If and Especially When in 1987, and Invisible Lantern and Buzz Factory in 1988 and 1989, respectively. After a brief hiatus, the band returned with Uncle Anesthesia in January 1991, Sweet Oblivion in September 1992, and Dust in June 1996. Last Words: The Final Recordings, their most recent album, was released in June 2011. The CD was recorded many years ago but was never published owing to the band’s breakup in 2000.
Screaming Trees issued three compilation albums: Anthology: SST Years 1985-1989, Nearly Lost You, and Ocean of Confusion: Screaming Trees Songs 1990-1996. Between 1985 and 1992, they also released five EPs and seven singles. Van Conner was also a member of Dinosaur Jr. He was engaged in the development of many additional bands after leaving Screaming Trees.
