Vinnie Paul (PANTERA)

[Ravenpride]

Former PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott has died. He was 54 years old.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Vinnie passed away Friday in Las Vegas, where he owned a home. No other details of his death were immediately available.

The drummer's passing was confirmed on both his personal and PANTERA's Facebook pages, where an identical announcement appeared Friday night.

"Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away," the statement read. "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."

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 by Nathan Gale. He was 38 years old.

Since his brother's murder, Vinnie Paul released several Dimebag-related items through his Big Vin Records label, including DVDs and the paperback book "He Came to Rock". Vinnie later said that the Dimebag-related releases weren't an attempt to cash in on his brother's tragic end but rather a way to keep Dimebag's legacy alive and well.

Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with former PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo.

Vinnie and Anselmo's relationship got more acrimonious when Vinnie indirectly blamed Philip for Dimebag's death, suggesting that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

Vinnie Paul has consistently shot down persistent calls for a PANTERA reunion with Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) filling in for Dimebag on guitar, telling Metal Hammer: "I'm not interested because there's no Dime, and, to me, if there's no Dime, there's no PANTERA. That's my reason. It's behind me. I've moved on. I play in a band called HELLYEAH and I really love doing it. I'm looking forward to moving forward; I don't wanna live in the past."

For the past decade, Vinnie has been touring and recording with HELLYEAH, whose fifth album, "Unden!able", came out in 2016.

Shortly before his death, Vinnie laid down the drum tracks for HELLYEAH's sixth album at The Hideout recording studio in Las Vegas.

R.I.P

[Ravenpride]

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.

[Ravenpride]

According to TMZ, Vinnie Paul Abbott will be buried in a custom "Kiss Kasket" provided by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The casket was offered as a gift at Vinnie's family's request. Vinnie will also be laid to rest in some of his clothes, including his hat, shoes and flannel. (See pictures at TMZ.)

The former PANTERA drummer's brother, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, was buried in the original KISS casket prototype in 2004 after his untimely death. The coffin featured the faces of the four founding members of KISS, the KISS logo and the words "Kiss Forever".

Darrell was a huge KISS fan and even had a tattoo of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley on his chest. In addition, Darrell had Frehley autograph it and had that tattooed to his body as well.

Simmons announced he was giving Dimebag's family the coffin during a December 2004 appearance on Fox News' "The Big Story Weekend Edition With Rita Cosby" a couple of days after the guitarist's death. Simmons told Cosby: "Well, I wasn't really prepared to talk about it, but the family requested, as a personal issue between the family and the grieving people who are going to be there, to send a Kiss Kasket. We initially did it as a promotion. And you know, I think it meant a lot to Darrell when, you know — when he was alive, he gave lots of people great joy. I mean he had the band tattooed onto his chest. He was a major figure in rock and roll. He's going to be greatly missed. And the family wish — you know the one last wish they had was that he be buried in a Kiss Kasket. And I think it's a private matter for the family and the fans, actually."

In a 2015 interview with The Washington Times, Vinnie Paul was asked if had a favorite rock 'n' roll memory. He responded: "PANTERA was the opening band on the KISS reunion tour in 1997, with all the original members. We toured with them in South America. We did three nights in Mexico City, then we had a flight on my birthday, which is March 11, and we were on a flight from Mexico City to Santiago, Chile. KISS was in first class, and we were in business class. Halfway through the flight, all four of the original members of KISS came back to me and sang 'Happy Birthday' in four-part harmony. They gave me a 'Kisstory' book. I felt like a 14-year-old kid. I had tears coming out of my eyes." He added: "They took us under their wing, really liked us, and it was a great tour."

A public memorial for Vinnie Paul will be held this Sunday, July 1, at Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. Fans interested in attending "Vinnie Paul: A Public Celebration Of Life" must receive a wristband to enter the Bomb Factory. The line for wristbands will begin at noon outside the venue prior to the 3:33 p.m. memorial. The event announcement notes: "There are no advance tickets, lines or lists."

The musician's funeral will be held on Saturday, June 30, with the private service also scheduled to begin at 3:33 p.m. Following the services on Saturday and Sunday, Vinnie will be buried alongside his mother and brother.

Vinnie passed away on Friday (June 22) at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. The drummer's death "did not appear suspicious," according to the official report of the event recorded by Metropolitan Police officers. Sources close to Vinnie told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he suffered a "major heart attack," but that information has not been corroborated yet by an official source.

Vinnie had reportedly finished laying down drum tracks for the next HELLYEAH album, although there is no word yet on when or if that LP will see the light of day.