To print this page, select "Print" from the File menu of your browser salon.com > People July 6, 1999 URL: http://www.salon.com/people/obit/1999/07/06/sandman Mark Sandman, Morphine's lead singer, dies at 47 The popular Boston rocker collapsed on stage from a heart attack during a three-day music festival near Rome. - - - - - - - - - - - - The lead singer of the Boston rock band Morphine, Mark Sandman, collapsed on stage and died of a heart attack at a concert outside Rome, police said Sunday. "We're devastated," said band manager Deborah Klein, hours after Mr. Sandman collapsed just before midnight Saturday in front of several thousand spectators at a music festival. "We don't even know what to say. We're all in shock." A doctor tried to revive the 47-year-old Mr. Sandman but failed, and he was pronounced dead in an ambulance en route to a hospital. Mr. Sandman played bass, sang and wrote all of Morphine's songs. "His music was completely special and unique," Klein said in a telephone interview from Boston. "People loved him." Morphine is a guitar-less trio that includes Dana Colley on saxophone and Billy Conway on drums. It started out playing at parties and bars around Boston and Cambridge in the early 1990s and built a solid cult following. Morphine has released five albums, including "Good," "Cure for Pain," "Yes," "Like Swimming" and "B-Side." Mr. Sandman died on the second day of the three-day music festival at the Giardini del Principe in Palestrina, 30 miles east of Rome. Festival promoter Flavio Maniri said Sunday's performances would be dedicated to Mr. Sandman. Palestrina was the second stop on a two-week European tour. Klein said the band was supposed to start two-week West Coast tour on July 19 after returning home. salon.com | July 6, 1999