Van Conner has died at the age of 55

Gary wrote on Facebook: "Van Conner bassist and song writer of Screaming Trees died last night of an extended illness at 55. It was pneumonia that got him in the end. He was one of the closest friends I ever had and I loved him immensely. I will miss him forever and ever and ever."(sic)

Along with his bandmates, the 'Dollar Bill' hitmaker - who tied the knot with Jill Danielson in 1993 - recorded a total of seven studio albums during their heyday from 1984 until 2000 before disbanding and releasing 'Last Words: The Final Recordings' in 2011, which was recorded before their split.

After his time in the band was up, Van Conner released a string of solo records including 'Solomon Grundy', 'Dark Matter' and 'Minds Through Space and Time.'

Following the news of his death, fellow rockers Dinosaur Jr. were quick to pay tribute to the tragic star, who urged fans to remember the "awesome person" that Van Conner was.

A tweet from the band's official Twitter account read: "We will miss Van Conner, s***. I'm gonna listen to his LP. I suggest you do the same and think about what an awesome person he was."

Van Conner is the second member of Screaming Trees to pass away after frontman Mark Lanegan died in February last year at the age of 57, although no cause of death was revealed.