Drummer Vincent Paul Abbott, a.k.a. "Vinnie Paul" (co-founder of both Pantera and Hellyeah) has just passed away at 54 years old.

Vinnie formed Pantera along with his brother, Dimebag Darrell in 1981. The group found mainstream success with second lead singer Phil Anselmo.

Throughout its career, Pantera earned four Grammy nominations and charted nine albums on the Billboard 200, including its 1994 album Far Beyond Driven, which debuted at No. 1 on the chart.

Following Pantera's demise, the Abbott brothers formed Damageplan in 2003. The band was performing in a concert on Dec. 8, 2004, when Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage during a concert in Columbus, Ohio.

In 2006, Paul formed Hellyeah, a heavy metal supergroup with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell.

"Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away,"reads a statement on the Pantera Facebook page."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."

Metal Temple's staff would like to offer their sincere sympathies to the Abbott family, his friends and his close ones.

May he rest in peace now, alongside his brother!

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News reported by:Jean-François "Thrashing Assault" Briard

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More info:
https://www.pantera.com
https://www.facebook.com/Pantera/
https://www.twitter.com/pantera
https://instagram.com/panteraofficial
https://hellyeahband.com
https://www.facebook.com/hellyeahband/