DISTURBED's DAN DONEGAN Mourns Death Of His Father

DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan is mourning the death of his father.

Earlier today (Monday, September 30),the 56-year-old musician, who formed DISTURBED 30 years ago under the band's original name BRAWL, took to his social media to share a few photos of his father and he included the following message: "This morning I lost my hero! My dad just turned 85 one week ago & unfortunately he had to spend it fighting for his life in a hospital bed from kidney failure. For those of you who knew him would know he was a fighter. The toughest man I know. He was militant, stubborn, flawed but my hero. He loved his grandkids with everything he had. He loves this country & was a proud veteran & although had his run ins with the police (quite a few tbh). He later grew respect for law enforcement.

"I had to perform this past Saturday at a festival in Kentucky & he told me I better go & kick some ass @disturbed . 2 hours before I hit the stage they moved him into hospice. Thank God for my family/kids, & friends/band to help me thru the night. I was able to drive back home and go straight to the hospice facility and be by his side.

"I'm so grateful and feel that in my heart he was waiting for me to get back home and for my daughter to come back home from college and my son and the rest of our immediate family to be around him yesterday!

"I stayed with him for the night & couldn't sleep. I just had a gut feeling just after 4 AM that he was slipping away. I grabbed his hand and put my other hand on his chest and realized in that moment he was gone. One of the nurses came in to check him and confirmed at 4:09 AM my dad had left us.

"I Love you Dad, rest in peace!"

In an Instagram Live, Dan spoke in more detail about his father's passing, saying:  "My dad was my hero. It was sad, but he lived a long, full life, and it was a hard life towards the end. He was there mentally, but physically he was beat up and things were shutting down on him. And we just played that show at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky the other night, Saturday, and, of course, I offered and asked him if he wanted me to cancel our performance and stay with him. And, of course, he said no; he insisted that I go play the show, 'cause he was so proud of me and the band and what we've accomplished. Throughout our career, he's been to many of our shows, and I knew he wouldn't want it any other way. He told me to go kick some ass out there. He was so happy for me and watching our career. And I felt like he was holding on over the weekend, just waiting for me to come back home and fought through it. He knew that my daughter was gonna come back from Kentucky, from college, and come see him one last time, and my son and his family and friends and close family that was there yesterday. I feel like he was hanging on just to hear our voices one last time. And it was just incredible to have that moment, 'cause he's been in the hospital. It's been two weeks today that he took a fast decline, and to see the condition that he was in with kidney failure and the toxins taking over and how rapid that decline was. And we decided to put him on dialysis, 'cause that was the only other option. And it was helping, but it was only after three times where he got some clarity from it, but also decided he didn't wanna do it. He didn't wanna continue this way. There's just no real quality of life left for him at 85. And he had over the years developed some heart issues. He had AFib three times this past year of having to have his heart shot back in the rhythm. He had liver problems, kidney problems. His eyesight was going, his neck pain. It was just too much. And I'm glad that he had a clear enough mind to really think about it himself and make that decision. Even though I had power of attorney for him, it's a tough call to have to make those decisions, on your best friend and your father to tell them 'do not resuscitate' and make any big decisions for him if it would have gotten to that point to where he couldn't decide on his own. And I'm just thankful to be able to do the show at Louder Than Life and jump in the car and drive home and get to him the next morning and stay with him in hospice. 'Cause they put him in the hospice Saturday night, the same night we were playing. So it was about maybe two hours before we hit the stage. He went into hospice. So it was heartbreaking to think that I was not there when that call was made or when a bed was open for him to move him over. But he hung in there. He waited for us, for me to get home, he waited for my kids to get there, and it was so bizarre that I felt like, right after he got that, how rapidly, how peaceful things seemed. Shortly after hearing all of our voices, and he just kind of laid back and went to sleep and just never woke up, I stayed with him for the rest of the night, and had that gut feeling at four in the morning, as I was in the room with him, just laying on the couch. I walked over by him and held his hand and put my hand on his chest and then I realized he was just taking his last breaths. So, if anything, I'm thankful that it was as peaceful as it can be and going in his sleep and not painful, 'cause he was in a lot of pain the previous days. And he wasn't gasping for air; he just went into sleep. So, if anything, I got some peace knowing that."

DISTURBED is continuing to play shows in support of its eighth studio album, "Divisive", which came out in November 2022.

According to Billboard, "Divisive" sold 26,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 22,000 units via album sales.

On the all-format Billboard 200 chart, "Divisive" debuted at No. 13.

DISTURBED has had five No. 1s on the all-genre chart, beginning with "Believe" in 2002.