Snow Patrolâs Gary Lightbody says it took him a year to cry after fatherâs death
The singer said he would be â??absolutely delightedâ?? if his new book, detailing his grief, helped somebody â??in some small wayâ??.
Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody has said it took him âa full yearâ before he cried following the death of his father Jack in December 2019.
The Northern Irish musician, 48, details his experience with grief in his new book, The Forest Is The Path, which is also the title of his bandâs eighth studio album, released in 2024.
âPart of it is about the making of the album, some of itâs about the themes of the album, but I think that most of it is about the four days after my dad passed away,â he told ITVâs Lorraine.
Recalling an anecdote included in the book, he said: âHeâd just passed away and we had to go, me and my mate went and got the death certificate and all the things.
Snow Patrol performing at Bangor Marina to celebrate frontman Gary Lightbody being awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Ards and North Down (Niall Carson/PA)
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âAnd we got back to the nursing home, and other extended family had started to arrive, and a guy stopped me in the car park and said, âOh, your dad, when we play in the nursing home, your dad always requests Chasing Cars.â
âAnd I didnât know that, and it was such a lovely thing to hear. But then he asked me how he was and I just said, âHeâs fineâ, because I couldnât say the words out loud at that point, but yeah, it was lovely to hear that he was requesting Snow Patrol songs.â
He added: âIâd be absolutely delighted that it would help (somebody) in some small way. But, you know, I was just trying to figure out how I was getting through because it was a full year before I cried.
âI just went completely numb. I didnât really understand what was happening. Iâm a pretty emotional person, so for me, it was very strange.â
Snow Patrol was formed in 1994 in Dundee, when Lightbody was at university in the Scottish city.
The bandâs 2024 album came a year after Lightbody announced that drummer Jonny Quinn and bassist Paul Wilson had decided to quit the band.
The alternative rock group is known for hits including Chasing Cars, Run and Signal Fire, and they are billed to perform at Glastonbury Festival this year.