Tributes pour in from rock and heavy metal groups including Kiss and Guns N’ Roses
Vinnie Paul, the drummer and co-founder of heavy metal band Pantera, has died, the group announced in a statement on Facebook.
The Texas-born musician died aged 54 on Friday evening, but no cause of death has been given yet.
Paul formed Pantera in 1981 with his brother, “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, and went on to earn four Grammy nominations and a No 1 album in the US in 1994.
The band disbanded in 2003 following reports of a rift in the group and its singer’s intention to leave.
In a statement on Pantera’s Facebook page, the group wrote: “Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away. Paul is best known for his work as the drummer in the bands Pantera and Hellyeah.
“No further details are available at this time. The family requests you please respect their privacy during this time.”
Pantera’s platinum-selling album Vulgar Display of Power is considered one of the most influential heavy metal albums of the 90s, having sold more than 2m copies.
Paul and his brother Darrell Abbott, formed a new band Damageplan in 2004 after Pantera disbanded, but Darrell was murdered by a gunman during a concert in Columbus, Ohio later that year.
Artists from the wider rock and heavy metal scene have paid tribute to Paul.
The English-American rocker Slash tweeted:
Slash (@Slash) Tragic news about Vinnie Paul today. He was one of the warmest people I knew. A truly good & fun friend. We're going to miss you more than you could possibly have known. RIP buddy. https://t.co/yQqruY4tio
Guns N’ Roses bass guitarist Duff McKagan also posted: “RIP Vinnie Paul. Friend. Humorist. Badass drummer. All-around good man. Condolences to the family. You will be missed bro...”
Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley tweeted:
Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) So sad to hear of the death of Vinnie Paul. Loved when Pantera did shows with us and in later years Vinnie was always front and center at all KISS shows. RIP and condolences to his family. https://t.co/DaQREBNVW7
Rock group Papa Roach tweeted: “Gutted to hear about the nicest guy in metal passing. Vinnie Paul showed us nothing but love. We’ll miss you Vinnie.”
The lead singer of Megadeth, Dave Mustaine, added to the condolences:
Vinnie Paul Abbott's family has told TMZ that the legendary drummer died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas. His body has been turned over to the medical examiner to determine a cause of death, and after that, he will be flown back to his home state of Texas to be buried between his mother and brother.
Vinnie Paul and his brother "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage. He was 38 years old.
Vinnie and Dimebag's father was Jerry Abbott, a successful country songwriter whose tunes were recorded by the likes of Emmylou Harris and Freddy Fender.
Ten years after Dimebag's death, Jerry Abbott released a book, "Over My Left Shoulder: The Life And Times Of Jerry Abbott".
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Writing about the breakup of PANTERA, Jerry, who, by his own admission, had "very little contact" with his sons "from the time [the band] began their world tour in support of 'Cowboys From Hell' until they began recording 'Far Beyond Driven'," said: "Too much success can breed failure and often does. I think that's an accurate assessment of what happened to PANTERA. It's like a marriage that's just too good to believe, and the next thing you know it's on the rocks."
Vinnie told Metal Hammer that having a parent who was a music songwriter and producer made it easier for him to explore his creativity. "Yes, and especially for Dime too," he said. "My mom and dad separated when he was 14, and every Wednesday and Thursday, he would go to my dad's house and he would pick one or two songs that we wanted to learn as a band and my dad would pick the notes out and teach them to Dime. Eventually he could pick them out on his own but it really helped him out. My dad was definitely an influence on him in the early days."
Vinnie Paul was most recently in the band HELLYEAH alongside MUDVAYNE vocalist Chad Gray and NOTHINGFACE guitarist Tom Maxwell.
Not long before his death, Vinnie laid down the drum tracks for HELLYEAH's sixth album at The Hideout recording studio in Las Vegas. It is not presently clear when those recordings will see the light of day.
Vinnie Paul, drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera, has died aged 54.
The band broke the news on their Facebook page, in a statement that read: “Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away ... the family requests you please respect their privacy during this time.”
Born in Abilene, Texas, Paul formed Pantera in 1981 with his brother Darrell Abbott, better known as Dimebag Darrell.
The band recorded nine albums including 1994’s Far Beyond Driven which reached No 1 in the US. They received four Grammy nominations for best metal performance.
Pantera disbanded in 2003 due to long-running disputes between the two brothers and vocalist Phil Anselmo resulting from the latter’s drug addiction.
The Abbot brothers went on to form Damageplan and recorded a single album, 2004’s New Found Power. On 8 December 2004, Dimebag Darrell was shot dead onstage in Columbus, Ohio. Damageplan disbanded shortly after.
In 2006, Paul joined the heavy metal supergroup Hellyeah who went on to release five albums.
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Tributes have poured in from fellow musicians. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth posted on Twitter: ” Another metal hero taken too soon. Say hello to Daryl for me. Rest In Peace, my dear friend.”
Paul Stanley, singer-guitarist with KISS, wrote: “So sad to hear of the death of Vinnie Paul. Loved when Pantera did shows with us and in later years Vinnie was always front and center at all KISS shows. RIP and condolences to his family.”
Rock band Papa Roach also posted a statement about Paul’s death. “Gutted to hear about the nicest guy in metal passing. Vinnie Paul showed us nothing but love. We’ll miss you Vinnie,” it read.
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All day, the metal community has been coping with the huge loss of Vinnie Paul Abbott. He was only 54 years old. Up until this point, not much was known about how the HELLYEAH / Pantera drummer passed away but TMZ managed to get some information.
They are reporting that in speaking with the family, TMZ learned that Vinnie died in his sleep. Here is the update:
Vinnie's family tells TMZ … he died in his sleep at his home in Las Vegas. His body's been turned over to the medical examiner to determine a cause of death, and after that he'll be flown back to his home state of Texas to be buried between his mom and brother.
The report from the examiner could take anywhere from weeks to months, so it might be quite a while until we find out the true reason for Vinnie's passing.
The metal and rock community have been coming out in droves with touching tributes to the late legendary drummer. Vinnie Paul was very much beloved by the community and everybody has a great story to share about his life. We've been updating the tribute wall with all the social media posts from the community. Keep up with it here.
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