Vinnie Paul Dead At 54

Vinnie Paul, co-founder and drummer of Pantera, as well as a member of Damageplan and Hellyeah, has died. He was 54.

His representatives confirmed the legendary drummer’s death to Billboard.

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

Paul was born in March 11, 1964 in Abilene, Texas.

Vinnie formed Pantera with his late brother Dimebag Darrell in 1981.

Over 22 years, the band released nine albums, including the 1994 Billboard 200 chart-topper Far Beyond Driven. They recorded two other top 5 albums, The Great Southern Trendkill (1996) and Reinventing the Steel (2000). The band was nominated for four Grammys and sold over nine million albums before they disbanded in 2003. 

Following the end of Pantera, Paul formed Damageplan with his brother in 2003. On December 8, 2004 Darrell was shot and killed on stage while performing with the band.

Paul began drumming for heavy metal supergroup Hellyeah (which included Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell) in 2006.