Pantera Drummer Vinnie Paul Found Dead At 54

On Friday night, Pantera drummer and founder Vinnie Paul died at 54-years-old. The band announced his passing on Facebook without providing an immediate cause of death.

“Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away,” Pantera wrote. “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.”

In 1981, the Texas native formed Pantera with his brother Darrell Abbott and bassist Rex Brown. The heavy metal band later added singer Phil Anselmo to the mix in 1987. They released albums including Cowboys from Hell, Vulgar Display of Power, Far Beyond Driven, The Great Southern Trendkill and Reinventing the Steel.

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In 2004, Pantera disbanded due to issues between the Abbott brothers and Anselmo, so the brothers formed Damageplan and released a new album, New Found Power. Later that year, Darrell was shot and killed onstage while performing by a deranged fan.

Two years after his brother’s death, Abbott joined metal group Hellyeah. Most recently, they released Unden!able in 2016.

Mike Portnoy, the drummer of Dream Theater, tweeted his remembrance of Abbott.

Additionally, other fans and people of the music industry remembered the drummer on Twitter.