Vinnie Paul (Born Vincent Paul Abbott)
(March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018)
Vinnie Paul, founding drummer for the highly influential metal band, Pantera, reportedly died in his sleep on June 22, 2018. He was 54. According to TMZ: “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.”
Born in Abilene, Texas, Paul’s first introduction to music likely came from his father, Jerry Abbott, a country music songwriter and producer who went on to helm Pantera’s early records. Formed in 1981, Pantera counted Paul’s brother, Darrell Abbott (later known as Dimebag Darrell) among its ranks. Pantera went on to become one of the biggest names in metal during the ’90s, selling over 60 million albums combined. After Pantera disbanded in 2003, Paul formed nu-metal band, Damageplan with his brother. Their only album, New Found Power, debuted at #38 on the Billboard charts. Before the band could pick up real steam however, tragedy struck when Dimebag was shot and killed along with four others when an assailant climbed the stage and began firing with no apparent motive. After taking an 18-month hiatus, Paul joined metal supergroup, Hellyeah, in 2008. The band went on to release five albums before Paul’s passing.
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