Tributes flow for Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, “a beacon of light for so many”

Belle and Sebastian, alt.j, Mogwai, The National, Broken Social Scene, Frank Turner, Biffy Clyro and Franz Ferdinand were among those who paid tribute to Scott Hutchison, singer and songwriter of Scottish band Frightened Rabbit.

The 36-year-old’s body was discovered near Edinburgh a day after he was reported missing.

The band’s drummer Grant revealed the soft spoken frontman had made “a very distressing” phone call to a close friend, to say,  he was “feeling low” and wanted to be left alone.

Hutchison, had said his farewell on Twitter:  “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.”

CCTV footage showed him leave Edinburgh’s Dakota Hotel at 1am.

The UK music industry rallied around, telling fans and fellow musicians to call each other or suicide lines if the demons came.

His death was also felt in Australia, where the band toured last year and had to add extra shows as demand increased.

Hutchison’s family said they were “utterly devastated with the tragic loss of our beloved Scott.”

It describe him as “passionate, articulate and charismatic, as well as being one of the funniest and kindest people we knew” and “wonderful son, brother, uncle and friend”.

“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.”

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.”

Among other tributes were:

Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch: “The whole music community in Scotland was praying for a different outcome.

“Folks, if you are up against it, having dark thoughts, please tell someone, family, a friend or a doctor.

“There is always another way, though it might not seem like it.”

Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite: “I didn’t know Scott very well but I always enjoyed his company whenever I was in it.”

Broken Social Scene: “Heart breaking. Every night people sang with him. They sang his words and his breath. He always reached as far as he could.

“Scott was a gentleman to all of us and he was loved by all of us.”

A fan, Michael Conroy: “Anyone who has listened to Frightened Rabbit will know Scott’s words were incredibly open.

“Scott exposed his inner turmoil and his darkest thoughts; he gave us all enough warning.

“When the news came through though it still shocked us, we still had disbelief that he had gone. We still clung on to hope that it was mistaken identity.

“The reason for this is that Scott was a beacon of light for so many who experience mental health issues.

“In lyrics, which openly talked of suicide, we found someone who took away the need to express our feelings in the right way.”