Eddi Reader has announced she will continue with her planned shows following the death of her husband, rock star John Douglas, at the age of 63 on Monday, August 3. The star, best known as the guitarist and singer of the rock band Trashcan Sinatras, died after a "brief illness".
Celebration of life in Glasgow
On Sunday, August 23, his family and friends gathered in Glasgow to celebrate his life, songs and stories. John regularly accompanied BRIT Award-winning Eddi, who topped the charts with the track Perfect as a member of Fairground Attraction in May 1988, on stage as part of her touring band.
More recently, the couple, who married in 2013, formed an official acoustic duo, touring throughout 2025 and 2026 to promote a newly recorded, stripped-back collaborative album. In mid-2026, they also wrote and performed the song "Jonathan Is Running" for BBC Radio 2's 21st Century Folk programme.
Future plans revealed
A post on her official Facebook page shared: "Following the loss of John, Eddi has made the decision to continue with the shows planned for the coming months, joining the Alan Kelly Gang in Ireland this September before heading to England in October."
"There’s no doubt these shows will be incredibly emotional without John. His absence will be deeply felt, both by Eddi and by those who have shared the stage and so many years of music with him."
"But music was such a huge part of the life Eddi and John shared, and Eddi and her band feel that continuing to play, sing and share that music is what John would have wanted."
"For those joining Eddi and the band over the coming months, these will be very special shows, with John never far from their thoughts," it concluded.
John Douglas's musical legacy
John's death came just four days after the release of Trashcan Sinatra's latest album, Ever The Optimist. It is the band’s first full-length release in 10 years.
Trashcan Sinatras rose to fame with their hit single Obscurity Knocks, which featured on their debut album, Cake. It also included hits like Only Tongue Can Tell and Circling the Circumference. He joined the Scottish indie rock band in 1986, which was formed in his hometown of Irvine.
The band's discography spans seven studio albums, and John performed on each one, including the 1993 fan favourite I’ve Seen Everything. He went on to release his debut solo LP in 2024.
