A SCOTS rock star has gone missing after walking out of his hotel in the early hours of the morning.
Police are said to be getting increasingly concerned for Scott Hutchison, the lead singer of indie band Frightened Rabbit.
The 36-year-old was last seen at the Dakota Hotel in Edinburgh where he was spotted on CCTV leaving at around 1am.
His family are understood to have raised the alarm.
The band said: "We are worried about Scott, who has been missing for a little while now. He may be in a fragile state and may not be making the best decisions for himself right now.
"Please could Scott or anyone with any information on his whereabouts please contact Police Scotland (101). "
The last two tweets Scott Hutchison posted last night, before he disappeared said: "Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones."
He followed an hour later with: "I’m away now. Thanks."
The tweets received messages of support for Scott, including one from Scots DJ Edith Bowman, who wrote: "You ok fella? Sending love and a shoulder if you need it."
Two years ago, the founder and lead singer of Frightened Rabbit moved to say the band will not be ending despite a "meltdown" in which he invited fans not to buy his records.
However he had to cancel appearances at two German festivals, to seek recovery after hinting his outbursts on social media were the result of alcohol and depression.
In a social media tirade, the Selkirk-born singer-songwriter produced a series of emails which led to concern from celebrity fans which then also included Ms Bowman.
He said: "Hello. What's the point?
'Don't buy my records': Is this the end for Frightened Rabbit?
"Turns out I'm a complete a*sehole. It's important that everyone knows. I'm not a particularly good person. So don't buy my records.
"I've really hurt people who are in my life and then made records out of that turmoil, when it was entirely my fault anyway.
"So I'd urge you to forget about the band, it's a complete farce. I don't deserve any of the things that have benefitted my life.
He concluded in a string of tweets put out on Friday that led to concerns about the band's future: "Goodbye to Frightened Rabbit. All it has ever been is me boring people with lies and making creative currency out of other people's hurt."
But later Hutchison, posted on the official Frightened Rabbit social media platforms that it was not the end of the band and that he now had a "greater appreciation of the pitfalls of mixing alcohol, depression and social media".
He said at the time: "I will keep this short and to the point, there's no real need to go into great detail. I had a bit of a meltdown on Saturday, for various reasons."
Insp Graeme Dignan said of his disappearance: "We are keen to locate Scott as soon as possible to ensure he is safe and well and would urge anyone who can assist with our ongoing inquiries to come forward.
"If you believe you have seen him since the early hours of Wednesday morning or know where he currently is, then please contact police immediately.
"I'd also urge Scott to get in touch with family, friends or with police, to let us know he is alright."
CCTV shows Scott at the Dakota Hotel, where he visited before he disappeared.
He is described as white, 6ft tall with a stocky build, dark hair and a thick beard.
He was last seen wearing a dark baseball cap, navy blue hooded jacket, grey or khaki trousers and white trainers.
Bands and celebrities have added their weight to the appeal for help in finding the Frightened Rabbit front man.
this is really scary. i do not know him but many prayers for Scott’s head & heart, that he is returned to his loved ones quickly, and that he gets every bit of help he may need. pic.twitter.com/mMX5yOTTJi
— hayley from Paramore (@yelyahwilliams) 9 May 2018
beautiful boy Scott from Frightened Rabbit is missing - come home Scott - it’ll shift/pass/change it ALWAYS does - guaranteed!!! Life surprises you about how much more it knows what you need than you know xxx
— Sadenia Eddi Reader (@eddireader) 9 May 2018
Scott is simply one of the best people I know. Keep your eyes Edinburgh, and look after him if you see him. https://t.co/p5zuTe3UoW
— Frank Turner (@frankturner) 9 May 2018
Please RT this. Scott is a good guy. This is very worrying. https://t.co/LuO9nE1j4t
— Irvine Welsh (@IrvineWelsh) 9 May 2018
Scott is the best and loved so much by so many please help and share and get him back safe to them. 🖤 https://t.co/2zGwnWEdpo pic.twitter.com/PwSXoIi4YP
— kathryn joseph (@kathrynjoseph_) 9 May 2018
Please get in touch if you have any information on our friend Scott. https://t.co/EJp8iKVF4V
— the twilight sad (@thetwilightsad) 9 May 2018
Frightened Rabbit, who were formed in Selkirk 15 years ago, are best known for hit albums Pedestrian Verse and critically acclaimed LP The Midnight Organ Flight and songs such as Swim Until You Can't See Land, Keep Yourself Warm and The Woodpile.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here