Fans have paid tribute Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchison after his body was found and shared a note he sent to a vulnerable young man also struggling with depression.
Scottish musician Mr Hutchison, 36, disappeared on Wednesday after walking out of a South Queensferry hotel at 1am and he was found dead close to the Forth Road Bridge last night.
Today fans said his music had got them through difficult periods and revealed that he would personally reach out to those battling ‘dark thoughts’ and send them gifts.
The singer, who called his band Frightened Rabbit because it was his mother’s nickname for him because he was so shy as a child, posted a hat to a fan after his parents contacted him to say the band had helped him ‘pull through a difficult time’.
He told Justin: ‘What I really wanted to say is that no matter how dark life seems you are never alone. There is always hope’.
Two hours before he went missing, the singer poignantly tweeted a message to fans saying: ‘Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones. I’m away now. Thanks’l. He left his phone in his room and walked out into the night.
Tim Burgess, lead singer of the Charlatans, was among the famous names who paid tribute to a ‘beautiful soul lost’ today, adding: ‘This world can be so harsh. Reach out to your loved ones today and every day if you can’.
Fans have paid tribute Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchison after a body was found 26 hours after his disappearance
Scott Hutchison, 36, was last seen at the Dakota Hotel in South Queensferry at around 1am on Wednesday and was found dead last night (pictured in CCTV footage)
The singer sent a Frightened Rabbit hat to a fan named Justin after his parents contacted him to say the band had helped him ‘pull through a difficult time’ and told him: ‘There’s always hope’
Two hours before he vanished the singer wrote: ‘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’
At 8.30pm last night a body was found at Port Edgar on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth close to the Forth Road Bridge and detectives believe it is him.
Formal identification has yet to take place but his family have been informed.
The indie band’s frontman was last seen leaving the Dakota Hotel in South Queensferry in the middle of the night on Wednesday.
Police appealed for drivers who may have seen him near the Forth Road Bridge to contact them.
Yesterday his brothers said they were distraught as they urged him to get in touch. Today they have asked for privacy to grieve.
Grant Hutchison, 33, a drummer with the band said the overall feeling they were trying to force through was ‘one of hope and positivity’ that Scott will return safely.
He added: ‘We are obviously all very distraught that he isn’t here but we are staying strong and positive overall to try and help each other through it.’
He spoke about his brother being an ‘inspirational’ figure and a ‘hero’ who he missed very much.
He said: ‘It’s a situation you never expect to find yourself in, it’s not a situation you rehearse or prepare for.
‘It’s a shock, to some extent we are still in shock and a little numb, but we are trying today to be very positive and keep an open mind.’
Mr Hutchison (pictured left and right, performing) by his family who have been informed by police of his likely death
Fans have spoken of how his music helped them through their own hard times in life
Neil Hutchison, 38, the musician’s older brother, said: ‘We would just make an appeal to Scott we hope that you can hear this and see this is to get in touch, let us know you’re ok, we love you very much.’
The brothers spoke about Scott’s fight with depression and how he had helped others by speaking about his condition.
Grant said: ‘In relation to Frightened Rabbit, the band and Scott’s work and how many people he himself has helped who might be suffering from the same emotions and feelings, that’s been great to read.
Scott’s older brother acknowledged his fragile condition, which he has spoken about quite openly.
Neil added: ‘He does suffer from depression, he has been very open about that in an attempt to help other people with similar conditions.
‘He’s kind, he’s a great uncle to my three kids, a fantastic wee brother and an inspiring guy who is one of my heroes.
‘He’s an inspiration to me and I miss him very much.’
Police searching for the singer also appealed for information and for two people seen in the area at the time to come forward.
Chief inspector Alan Carson said: ‘The two people who crossed the Forth Road Bridge from South Queensferry at 1.10am may have useful information and we are extremely keen to speak with them.
‘We know Scott is quite a deep individual, he is a very well-loved man, I know that from having spent time with his family, and he’s an important part of a lot of people’s lives.
‘We know that Scott’s had to take himself away and have a time-out before and we’re working on the basis that that may just be what he’s done on this occasion.
‘So we need Scott to get in touch, but equally anyone that might have seen Scott we need to hear from you too.’
For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See samaritans.org for details.