Gared O'Donnell, Planes Mistaken for Stars Vocalist, Dead at 44

Planes Mistaken for Stars vocalist Gared O'Donnell has died, following a hard-fought battle with stage III esophageal cancer. He was 44. The new was confirmed by the post-hardcore band via social media. "A titan, a pillar, a beacon, no one that knew him wasn't touched or inspired," the group's surviving members wrote in a joint statement. "The gift he gave us was himself, fully unselfishly pouring his life, love, and soul out to the world, so honestly that it hurt."

Formed in Peoria, Illinois, in 1997 before moving to Denver, Planes Mistaken for Stars were initially active until 2008, during which time they released three albums and a handful of EPs/splits/singles. They reunited in 2010, and released their first album in a decade, Prey, in 2016. In 2020, O'Donnell and Planes Mistaken for Stars bassist Neil Keener released Early Aught, the debut album by their new project Blunt Razors. O'Donnell continued working on new music during the final year of his life, which Planes Mistaken for Stars plan to bring to completion and release. Read the band's full statement below.