Trashcan Sinatras’ John Douglas dead at 63: “Talent, heart, kindness, he had it all”

John Douglas, the guitarist and vocalist of the Trashcan Sinatras, has died, aged 63. The Irvine-born guitarist had been with the Scottish indie rock outfit since 1986, and played on all seven of their albums, including their latest, ‘Ever The Optimist’, which was released just days before his passing. Taking to social media today, the band wrote: “We are devastated to inform all of you that we have lost our dear friend and brother John after a brief illness. “He died peacefully in the early hours of Monday the 3rd August 2026, surrounded by loved ones, his beautiful voice and songs filling the room.” Tributes from fans have poured in since news emerged. “Talent, heart, kindness…he had it all,” wrote one fan on Instagram, with another adding: “I imagine the timely release of your brilliant new album is bittersweet.” The aforementioned ‘Ever the Optimist’ arrived on July 31, and marked the band’s first full-length release in 10 years. They had previewed the record with a video of its title track, which saw the group reunite at a recent one-off 40th anniversary live performance at Irvine’s Harbour Arts Centre. That footage provided fans the first glimpse of all five members on stage ...