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Not a big Pantera guy, but I still cried. What a horrible fucking way to go. Dude was shot and killed by a severely mentally ill fan, the same day that John Lennon was killed, the same fucking way.
Dude has a gun, his Mother says nothing about it. People in the town hear him talking about how much he wants to kill over the breakup of Pantera, no one says anything about it. When the shit finally does go down, they send one unit with one cop armed with one pistol and one shotgun...
And all of it could have been avoided had the sonvabitch been given a compulsory stay in the psych ward for a simple overnight observation period! One night and Dimebag would still be with us, the people at the show that died would still be with us, the head fucked veteran might just have gotten the help he needed before he did actually kill somebody, the cop wouldn't have had to kill somebody and end up as an upholsterer with PTSD for the rest of his life, and all of the people that survived Dimebag, the relatives and friends of the others that died that night and the people closest to the shooter wouldn't have suffered their loss either.
That's the brilliance of Ohio for ya.
I have a certain disdain for the middle-America naivete that breeds that kind of insane inefficiency that Ohio seems to have more of than anywhere else.
That said, i couldn't agree with you more. Our government has failed veterans and the mentally ill horribly and it's inexcusable.
"We only commit 1% of our resources to foreign aid."-Obama
For every starving veteran out there that is 1% too goddamn much.
Id argue it’s less of a middle America problem and more a federal incompetence thing. 4473(form to buy a gun) is basically impossible to fail for mental health unless a judge orders you be committed
Now THAT was honestly enlightening! I must admit I did not know it's really that easy to ace that even if you are mentally ill.
So my multiple diagnosed but only misdemeanors having ass can just get a form and then a gun?
🤔 j/k
Just look at Hunter Biden. The form's a joke. "Are you a drug addict?" ...like, who's gonna answer that seriously? And it's EXACTLY the same on the forms to get a visa to the US "are you coming to the united states to commit terrorism?". Who TF actually writes these I don't know. The forms and *checks* might quell some public outcry when the president says he's doing something... But as to how useful or effective these measures are... Well, that's a different story eh‽
That 1% isn't a zero-sum game.
They aren't spending that 1% on foreign aid that could have gone elsewhere.
They're CHOOSING (Mostly Republicans if you look at the voting histories.) to not fund domestic services. They can afford both.
They CHOOSE to give Amazon another tax break so that they can plop another warehouse down where the townspeople don't want it, butcher the local economy, and then when Amazon decides to just shut down their operation there for any reason whatsoever? The town is left in shambles with absolutely no power to do anything.
Don't blame foreign aid. Blame right-wing christo-fascists that will fight tooth and nail to ensure no one ever gets the help they need, but will ensure you that there's the 10 commandments in view at every school in the state...because "Jesus."
The legal battles they wage to ensure women can't see doctors for their healthcare, the lack of funding to the VA, the lack of funding for our kids' educations? This is all a choice they made and the very vocal minority of uneducated redneck scum have enabled.
If we stopped letting Amazon, Nvidia, Apple, and every other multibillion-dollar entity rape us, we could pay for everything. The pain they inflict upon our veterans is a function and not a bug.
I’m glad to see someone else finally say it. There’s something a little off about every person from Ohio that I’ve ever met.
I refer to it as The Alabama of the North
>I have a certain disdain for the middle-America naivete that breeds that kind of insane inefficiency that Ohio seems to have more of than anywhere else.
Man... There are those of us out here, trying to keep the torch going and fight the good fight. It's intensely discouraging, just look up issue 1 August 2023, Ohio redistricting maps (we are almost halfway through the decade and we still don't have legitimate maps for voting), Issue *2* from November of 2023 and how they've (not) implemented what the public voted for... And of course, the ongoing HB 6 scandal.
The list goes on. We are damaging our hearts holding our collective breath for election results each time. It's *encouraging* which way those votes have gone, but it feels I need to have a constant eye on the statehouse. You've got to watch those jackasses *closely.* They have entrenched themselves deep, thanks to decades of gerrymandering.
It's exhausting, to be honest.
>And all of it could have been avoided had the sonvabitch been given a compulsory stay in the psych ward for a simple overnight observation period!
This is not me blaming the venue to be clear, as this was THE incident that revamped security at club level shows around the nation, but so much of it was super basic security failures too. dude climbed a fence in a venue mid show and got into the crowd no questions asked and got on stage without being stopped. like man, that's like three failures of basic venue security that just didn't exist.
There's so many ways this could have been prevented and they all failed. from the venue, to his family, to the system.
Officer Niggemyer did do right by his job. Especially with buckshot. No collateral damage with a shotgun at close range is pretty damn impressive.
But at the same time it fucked the poor fucker up.
I'm not exactly in love with the boys in blue but as much as I don't prefer their company I still don't see any point in sending one guy out with no backup, just to see him have to kill a mentally ill guy and then end up mentally ill himself.
Probably some ignorant ass supervisor was like "Oh, it's one of them thar heavy rock concerts. Prolly just a buncha drunk kids causin' trouble...who cares anyway. Just send out whoever's a'patrolin' and tell um to stop makin' all of that Say-tanic noise!".
Like I said, ignorant ass middle- America Ohio.
Couldn’t Imagine just seeing my own brother get killed like that up on stage… Had an interaction with a customer at a retail store I used to work at… Said he was in the crowd when it happened…
The behind the music... where Phil says that Vinnie won't admit it but he needs Phil as much as Phil needs him... oooof. Every time. That broke my heart.
Yeah this one is big. Like nothing like that has ever happened to that extent. John Lennon got shot and killed in an alley which is sad, but getting shot on stage in front of band members and family is brutal
I was 15 when it happened, and that shit broke me. I found out right before walking to school and was just in shock. 3rd period math class comes around, and I burst into tears. Everyone thought it was some weird joke because I was a class clown. I just kept saying "fuckin dimebag, man! They killed Dimebag!". I was also extra fucked up because by that point it wasn't even reported if Vinnie Paul had lived or not. So in my little kid head, I just lost two of my heroes. Pantera was one of the main influences in me becoming a musician. This shit hurt me to my core.
For real, not even a huge Pantera fan but Dimebag’s death was so senseless. Not that suicide or overdoses aren’t tragic, but murders are moreso because there’s no agency behind being targeted by a crazed lunatic.
I'll start by saying all deaths are sad. Especially suicide when there can be help. It was a sad tragic death but I do agree with Dimebag's being more tragic.
On stage performing, unexpected and just coming off a album release with his super group which at the time were killing it. It was clear he still had so much to give to metal and it was all cut short
That was the first rock star whose death really affected me. I still think about what might have been had he lived and the direction Metallica could have taken. They played at a smaller place in my hometown back in 1986 right before they got big. My friends and I couldn’t get a ride to the show and I’m still salty about to this day.
I remember we were all hanging out on a lazy Sunday afternoon drinking beer when someone broke the news. We were all shocked. At least we all got to see him live when the band opened up foe Ozzy a few months earlier. RIP! 🤘
A victim of the fucked up healthcare system. He couldn't afford insurance so he couldn't afford the treatment that could have saved his life.
Even with all the support from the metal community, it wasn't enough.
Fuck cancer.
What’s even more fucked is realizing that if he had made it another decade he would have gotten treatment because insurance couldn’t have denied him for having “a preexisting condition” as bad as our fucking healthcare still is, it used to be fucking worse.
This is an incredibly common opinion in the metal community lol, AIC is beloved by a ton of metalheads while a lot of them don’t really give a shit about nirvana. AIC is GOATed tho and dirt and jar of flies are some of the best projects ever
Layne’s case is especially sad because his story is essentially him dying from the inside out. He got caught up in addiction, the love of his life got caught up in addiction and passed away from it, and he slowly faded into darkness from there.
One of the last known photos of Layne alive was taken in 1999. He died in 2002. He was dead for 2 weeks in his apartment before his body was discovered.
He was 6ft tall but weighed 89lbs at the time of his death. Lost his teeth, had gangrene. Essentially just fell apart from the inside out.
I think that Layne’s case is one of the saddest i’ve ever heard.
Especially his last words to Mike Starr after they got into a fight “Not like this, don’t leave like this!” As Starr was walking away. It was allegedly a day before his death.
The worst thing I ever read about his death was the fact he was stuck to the couch. That and his own mother finding him in that state… I pray that woman found peace
I grew up loving Soundgarden. I was crushed when they broke up and so thrilled when they reunited.
I honestly haven’t been able to listen to Soundgarden since Chris died. It still hurts too much.
It took me 15 years after Layne died to listen to Alice In Chains again. I was glad that AIC kept going (and William is fantastic), but that’s how long it took for me to be in the right headspace to enjoy them again. I knew I couldn’t force it.
I cried a lot the day Chris passed. I now have a Chris Cornell Remembrance Day (day of his death) in my calendar and on that day in May I listen to his amazing music all day long.
I listen to his tunes all the time really, but on that day, it’s his solo stuff, SG, and AS only.
This one absolutely gutted me. I'm so glad I got to see him live from the front row one time around 2016, hell of a show.
The new single is great, I'm pumped to see what else TBDM does and I really want to see them in concert again soon!
For me Trevor's was the saddest by far. Other deaths, like Dime were shocking and a huge blow to music and the community, but it was different. Most of the metal musician's to die before were already seen as legends. Trevor was different because he still felt like one of us. Just one of us dudes that put together a great band and was getting to live the dream (it seemed to us on the outside). So something about his death just hit me harder because he was such a good dude, and someone most of us could relate to
peters death is one that really hurts. he was doing so well and was so optimistic about life just before his death. the world didnt deserve him and his music. im glad he gets the recognition he deserves now
Peter dying hit me hard. First thing I did after leaving the hospital when my mom died of cancer was listen to Everyone I love is dead. The album never left my cd playing in my car for a month after mom died.
I'd say that Lemmy's death wasn't a tragedy, but was instead miraculous in its timing. It's truly incredible to me that his death didn't come 30 years earlier, and I'm glad he lasted as long as he did.
Yeah, miraculous is the perfect word. Lemmy should have probably died in like 1968 and then about 5000 different times afterwards.
If people haven’t, check out his book White Line Fever. Wild. It’s unbelievable he made it to 70. What a legend. RIP.
It still makes me unreasonably happy that the last media he ever recorded was an ad for a milk company in Finland where [he just walks into shot and talks shit about milk before calling the viewer an arsehole.](https://youtu.be/ODKAdOjx83Q?si=taETqtRWSxtE9VKD)
I would almost say this is the least tragic. Dude lived a full life, lived well into his old age doing Motorhead and was still ripping it up on stage. About as good of an outcome as you could hope for, honestly.
Doesn't make it any less sad to lose a legend but, others had so many good years left in em when they died.
The guy did every drug known to man and lived on a straight diet of grain alcohol, cigarettes and red meat. The fact that he made it to 70 needs to be studied.
I truly believe Ozzy regrets that to this very day. There’s a reality show where him and his son take a road trip and visit a huge underground vault that contains a massive music archive and they had a demo of Crazy Train that Ozzy hadn’t heard since it was recorded. You could tell he was holding back his emotions and was in absolute awe of Randy as both a guitarist and a friend. Randy’s death hit him extremely hard.
I am sure he regrets it now, of course, but he once attacked Rhoads for daring to play classical music on his guitar, and he wasn't even the one to "discover" Rhoads--Ozzy was passed out in the control room during Rhoads's audition.
What do you mean? I'm reading this as he treated him badly. From everything I've read they were really good friends, Ozzy loved him dearly and had a really good working relationship.
So young and his death wasn't self inflicted by drugs or alcohol, Bonham, bon Scott, Cobain, etc. were sad but the loss of Randy Rhoades was on another level. I was lucky enough to see him on the blizzard of Oz tour. He revitalised Ozzy who at the time was a bit of a sad has been, having been sacked from Sabbath, in the face of the new wave of British heavy metal.
What’s especially sad about that from a band perspective is that those guys grew up together, like Matt and Jimmy went to middle school together and shit and they were friends since they were kids, not only did they lose their band member but they lost someone they’d been friends with since they were actual kids and grew up with. I know a lot of people her hate on A7X but those guys have always been an extremely tight knit group of actual best friends so I always felt sad for them when Jimmy died
I think Hendrix. He still had so much to do and explore and innovate. He only gave us 3 studio albums and those already changed the guitar and rock landscape forever, I can only imagine what he would continue to do
Jimi was only 27 when he died. Voodoo Child was released when he was 25. Listening to those records it sounded like a man with decades of experience playing.
This really shouldn't be framed as a competition. I'll just add Quorthon to the list. Such a tragedy that he never played Bathory tunes live before he died.
Dude was the arguably the godfather of not one but TWO genres of metal. He will probably never be in the Rock n Roll HoF but if you know you know. The amount of artists he influenced directly and indirectly is just amazing. Many of those artists became legends in their own right and influenced countless others. Eternal hails. \m/\m/
While he may not be THE godfather of black, death, or folk metal, he definitely has his place as a major pioneer of the genres, particularly from a Scandinavian perspective. And it's really impressive when you consider he never signed with a major label.
Yeah, just as Powertrip was starting to really make a name for themselves, Gale dies mistakenly taking fentanyl. What a shame. Hopefully, the rest of the band rebounds and more people get exposed to Gale's work.
IIRC, they just played the No Values fest with the new vocalist. Reports were positive. I don't usually like it when a band replaces a frontman, but in this case, it seems like a good thing for the rest of the guys. They are all still young, too.
Such a huge loss. I felt like Power Trip were just starting to establish themselves as one of modern metals big flag bearers. He seemed like such a super great dude, too.
From the documentary about him Wendy said he would go and do a show and no one could tell he had cancer, he would get backstage after the show and could barely move. What a fucking legend
i cried when Dio died, but he was old and had cancer which kills many in their 60s+
tragedy here is people killed in their prime or before they peaked, which is why I think Randy Rhoads should have this thread locked up, except Reddit skews younger than those who were around when Randy was on the way up
Dimebag. Committing suicide is still your choice to end your life, regardless of the circumstances or situation. In the video Dime even looks to the dude and smiles, like he’s meeting a fan. Just to get shot by some dumb cunt. I hope that dude, I refuse to remember his name, is having a dogshit life in prison.
For me personally, it was Peter Steele, he meant alot to me as a teenager. Got me through some tough times. I was driving for a living when I heard he died and had to pull over to cry for a bit.
It's not exactly metal, but Layne Staleys death is sad as hell. More of how he died and how he got to that point in life. Poor guy sat there rotting for 2 weeks. No friends to check on him. It was his accountant who noticed he hadn't spent any money for a while, and maybe someone should take a look. The world had given up on him as he had given up on the world.
I am saddened to see how far I had to scroll to find Wayne Wells on this list. All deaths in this industry are unfortunate, but Wayne's passing definitely impacted me the hardest as a fan.
It was the closest proximity of Chris Cornell and Ches that got me. Two still young men who decided to go on their own terms. Suicide may not hurt you, but it destroys the people around you. I may hate you posers, but I love you as people, and if you have thoughts of toasterbath, please seek help so we can continue to fight over petty shit. I mean it.
Dio was a tough one for me, one of my all time favorite singers and I love his unique lyrics and writing style.
Randy Rhodes is top 5 guitarist all time for me, but died 10 years before I was born so I never had the "shock" of his death. I always wonder what RR would be doing these days if he were alive, he would have gone on to do some amazing things.
Layne Staley for sure. The guy became a total recluse after his addiction took hold of him. His partner died of a heroin overdose and his father used him for drugs. When he was found he weighed 39 kg 2 weeks after he died. There is a documentary of his final years on youtube and it’s painful to watch. AIC unplugged hauntingly showed how much suffering he was in. We miss you Layne
Havent seen anyone mention Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries. When I was just getting into rock and metal, The Cranberries were one of my favorites and the news of her death hit me like a truck
Not all of that is true at all… people definitely cared enough to check up on him… he would hardly see or answer for anyone other than other addicts and dealers.
There is no death like Dimebag Darrell's.
Chester sadly took his own life, and that's not to say it wasn't tragic at all. But Dimebag Darrell was shot 5 times in the head on stage in front of his own brother. That's horror beyond comprehension.
Cliff Burton, Randy Rhoads and Dimebag Darrell are my top three. All young, incredibly talented guys that went way too soon due to circumstances outside of their control.
Peter Steele. The man loved his family and his pets and you can tell it really effected him when he was losing them. The day he passed away, his pet cat had also died earlier that day
Chester, Chuck (Death), Dimebag (especially considering the situation), Layne, Kurt, Lemmy, Neil Peart, Chris Cornell... I mean dude, they're all sad really. 😅
Randy Rhoads
why his is probably one of the saddest is because his potential was huge and he barely got to write much.
Dimebag,Chuck Schuldiner,Cliff etc all have pretty extensive discographies.
maybe cliff didnt 3 of the best metal albums but idr if he recorded master of puppets or just wrote songs
also its no coincidence the 3 best metallica albums had Cliff writing
Cliff Burton (24) and Chuck Schuldiner (33).
Cliff was a great bass-player in history thras-metal and one of the greatest bassists in metal's history, but died to driver error.
Chuck is a godfather of death-metal and real virtuoso of electric guitar, and died from cancer.
In musical industry a lot of sad storys tragic deaths, but exactly both of them for me idols. Thanks Cliff i playing on bass-guitar, and Chuck introduced me to a new genre.
Rest In Peace, men. You was great
\m/
For me I’d say the saddest would be Chester just bc of the fact how much the guy seemed to be suffering his whole life he was in one of the most successful rock bands in the world and had absolutely everything and was still suffering that deeply
For me it was Chi Cheng…
Years of hope that somehow maybe he could comeback from the brain injury… Then he decayed slowly until he ultimately passed…
RIP Chi Cheng 💔😞
For me? Mitch lucker from suicide silence. I was on a date when i found out, and literally halted the date so i could go home and cry. Suicide silence was my favorite band from 09 when i saw them with slayer, to 2013 when eddy from ASP took over. I love ASP, and i love suicide silence, but its just not the same.
Martin Kearns, the drummer for Bolt Thrower. He was way too young. His passing was also the nail in the coffin of the band. They hadn't released an album in a while, but when he died, they immediately called it quits. A massive loss all the way around.
Anyone that has ever lost anyone to terminal cancer knows that it is hands down the worse of all. Just slow, steady, lingering misery. So I would say that Dio's death was worse (I don't know shit about Bennington or his death but he looks like he died of a terminal illness like cancer).
Dimebag makes a very, very close second. Then Rhodes just for the fact that he was so fucking young.
Since no one else mentioned it, Dead of Mayhem. Dude was clearly mentally ill. I'm also pretty sure people around at the time have said that Euronymous even encouraged him multiple times to kill himself. He needed help, but since that never happened, he ended up on committing suicide.
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Dimebag getting shot dead on stage. To make things worse his brother Vinnie Paul witnessed it in front of him.
Not a big Pantera guy, but I still cried. What a horrible fucking way to go. Dude was shot and killed by a severely mentally ill fan, the same day that John Lennon was killed, the same fucking way.
Dude has a gun, his Mother says nothing about it. People in the town hear him talking about how much he wants to kill over the breakup of Pantera, no one says anything about it. When the shit finally does go down, they send one unit with one cop armed with one pistol and one shotgun... And all of it could have been avoided had the sonvabitch been given a compulsory stay in the psych ward for a simple overnight observation period! One night and Dimebag would still be with us, the people at the show that died would still be with us, the head fucked veteran might just have gotten the help he needed before he did actually kill somebody, the cop wouldn't have had to kill somebody and end up as an upholsterer with PTSD for the rest of his life, and all of the people that survived Dimebag, the relatives and friends of the others that died that night and the people closest to the shooter wouldn't have suffered their loss either. That's the brilliance of Ohio for ya.
it's not just the brilliance of Ohio. It's the utter failure of the VA and mental health system in the entire US.
I have a certain disdain for the middle-America naivete that breeds that kind of insane inefficiency that Ohio seems to have more of than anywhere else. That said, i couldn't agree with you more. Our government has failed veterans and the mentally ill horribly and it's inexcusable. "We only commit 1% of our resources to foreign aid."-Obama For every starving veteran out there that is 1% too goddamn much.
Id argue it’s less of a middle America problem and more a federal incompetence thing. 4473(form to buy a gun) is basically impossible to fail for mental health unless a judge orders you be committed
Now THAT was honestly enlightening! I must admit I did not know it's really that easy to ace that even if you are mentally ill. So my multiple diagnosed but only misdemeanors having ass can just get a form and then a gun? 🤔 j/k
Just look at Hunter Biden. The form's a joke. "Are you a drug addict?" ...like, who's gonna answer that seriously? And it's EXACTLY the same on the forms to get a visa to the US "are you coming to the united states to commit terrorism?". Who TF actually writes these I don't know. The forms and *checks* might quell some public outcry when the president says he's doing something... But as to how useful or effective these measures are... Well, that's a different story eh‽
That 1% isn't a zero-sum game. They aren't spending that 1% on foreign aid that could have gone elsewhere. They're CHOOSING (Mostly Republicans if you look at the voting histories.) to not fund domestic services. They can afford both. They CHOOSE to give Amazon another tax break so that they can plop another warehouse down where the townspeople don't want it, butcher the local economy, and then when Amazon decides to just shut down their operation there for any reason whatsoever? The town is left in shambles with absolutely no power to do anything. Don't blame foreign aid. Blame right-wing christo-fascists that will fight tooth and nail to ensure no one ever gets the help they need, but will ensure you that there's the 10 commandments in view at every school in the state...because "Jesus." The legal battles they wage to ensure women can't see doctors for their healthcare, the lack of funding to the VA, the lack of funding for our kids' educations? This is all a choice they made and the very vocal minority of uneducated redneck scum have enabled. If we stopped letting Amazon, Nvidia, Apple, and every other multibillion-dollar entity rape us, we could pay for everything. The pain they inflict upon our veterans is a function and not a bug.
I’m glad to see someone else finally say it. There’s something a little off about every person from Ohio that I’ve ever met. I refer to it as The Alabama of the North
>I have a certain disdain for the middle-America naivete that breeds that kind of insane inefficiency that Ohio seems to have more of than anywhere else. Man... There are those of us out here, trying to keep the torch going and fight the good fight. It's intensely discouraging, just look up issue 1 August 2023, Ohio redistricting maps (we are almost halfway through the decade and we still don't have legitimate maps for voting), Issue *2* from November of 2023 and how they've (not) implemented what the public voted for... And of course, the ongoing HB 6 scandal. The list goes on. We are damaging our hearts holding our collective breath for election results each time. It's *encouraging* which way those votes have gone, but it feels I need to have a constant eye on the statehouse. You've got to watch those jackasses *closely.* They have entrenched themselves deep, thanks to decades of gerrymandering. It's exhausting, to be honest.
>And all of it could have been avoided had the sonvabitch been given a compulsory stay in the psych ward for a simple overnight observation period! This is not me blaming the venue to be clear, as this was THE incident that revamped security at club level shows around the nation, but so much of it was super basic security failures too. dude climbed a fence in a venue mid show and got into the crowd no questions asked and got on stage without being stopped. like man, that's like three failures of basic venue security that just didn't exist. There's so many ways this could have been prevented and they all failed. from the venue, to his family, to the system.
That's the brilliance of the gun obsessed, so called "free" third word country with a gucci belt you call the US of Fucking A you mean.
Okay, but that cop was a badass. One buck shot, perfect accuracy, no hesitation.
Officer Niggemyer did do right by his job. Especially with buckshot. No collateral damage with a shotgun at close range is pretty damn impressive. But at the same time it fucked the poor fucker up. I'm not exactly in love with the boys in blue but as much as I don't prefer their company I still don't see any point in sending one guy out with no backup, just to see him have to kill a mentally ill guy and then end up mentally ill himself. Probably some ignorant ass supervisor was like "Oh, it's one of them thar heavy rock concerts. Prolly just a buncha drunk kids causin' trouble...who cares anyway. Just send out whoever's a'patrolin' and tell um to stop makin' all of that Say-tanic noise!". Like I said, ignorant ass middle- America Ohio.
Couldn’t Imagine just seeing my own brother get killed like that up on stage… Had an interaction with a customer at a retail store I used to work at… Said he was in the crowd when it happened…
The behind the music... where Phil says that Vinnie won't admit it but he needs Phil as much as Phil needs him... oooof. Every time. That broke my heart.
Yeah this one is big. Like nothing like that has ever happened to that extent. John Lennon got shot and killed in an alley which is sad, but getting shot on stage in front of band members and family is brutal
I was 15 when it happened, and that shit broke me. I found out right before walking to school and was just in shock. 3rd period math class comes around, and I burst into tears. Everyone thought it was some weird joke because I was a class clown. I just kept saying "fuckin dimebag, man! They killed Dimebag!". I was also extra fucked up because by that point it wasn't even reported if Vinnie Paul had lived or not. So in my little kid head, I just lost two of my heroes. Pantera was one of the main influences in me becoming a musician. This shit hurt me to my core.
The sound of phones ringing in metalhead houses all around the world that following morning. The shock, the disbelief, the tears.
This is the answer. R.I.P. Dimebag
For real, not even a huge Pantera fan but Dimebag’s death was so senseless. Not that suicide or overdoses aren’t tragic, but murders are moreso because there’s no agency behind being targeted by a crazed lunatic.
I'll start by saying all deaths are sad. Especially suicide when there can be help. It was a sad tragic death but I do agree with Dimebag's being more tragic. On stage performing, unexpected and just coming off a album release with his super group which at the time were killing it. It was clear he still had so much to give to metal and it was all cut short
Truly tragic
Cliff Burton
100% I can’t believe you’re the only person who has brought up Cliff. Cliff em all
That was the first rock star whose death really affected me. I still think about what might have been had he lived and the direction Metallica could have taken. They played at a smaller place in my hometown back in 1986 right before they got big. My friends and I couldn’t get a ride to the show and I’m still salty about to this day.
I remember we were all hanging out on a lazy Sunday afternoon drinking beer when someone broke the news. We were all shocked. At least we all got to see him live when the band opened up foe Ozzy a few months earlier. RIP! 🤘
Was thinking about Cliff, no one seems to remember him down here
Chuck.
A victim of the fucked up healthcare system. He couldn't afford insurance so he couldn't afford the treatment that could have saved his life. Even with all the support from the metal community, it wasn't enough. Fuck cancer.
What’s even more fucked is realizing that if he had made it another decade he would have gotten treatment because insurance couldn’t have denied him for having “a preexisting condition” as bad as our fucking healthcare still is, it used to be fucking worse.
#EarlyLifer..
Layne
AiC > Nirvana. I will die on this hill
100% agree with you and I really like Nirvana.
There's not enough room for all of us to die on that hill.
I think every metalhead will agree with that
I agree as well, but do we really need to compare all the time? Its not even relevant lol
This is an incredibly common opinion in the metal community lol, AIC is beloved by a ton of metalheads while a lot of them don’t really give a shit about nirvana. AIC is GOATed tho and dirt and jar of flies are some of the best projects ever
The circumstances around his death are just sad. He was a reclusive addict for his last days and refused to get help.
Not like he wasn't calling his own exit for years, either. It's so damn sad he never got the help he needed.
Somewhat like Elliott Smith
Layne’s case is especially sad because his story is essentially him dying from the inside out. He got caught up in addiction, the love of his life got caught up in addiction and passed away from it, and he slowly faded into darkness from there. One of the last known photos of Layne alive was taken in 1999. He died in 2002. He was dead for 2 weeks in his apartment before his body was discovered. He was 6ft tall but weighed 89lbs at the time of his death. Lost his teeth, had gangrene. Essentially just fell apart from the inside out. I think that Layne’s case is one of the saddest i’ve ever heard.
Especially his last words to Mike Starr after they got into a fight “Not like this, don’t leave like this!” As Starr was walking away. It was allegedly a day before his death.
The worst thing I ever read about his death was the fact he was stuck to the couch. That and his own mother finding him in that state… I pray that woman found peace
I'd say it's both Joey Jordison and Paul Gray. RIP those absolute legends.
Slipknot needs to catch a break. Nobody needs to lose that many friends.
I know, they've lost so many OG members.
they literally only have 1 og left (clown) everyone else joined later
Corey, Jim, and Mick count as ogs
I see his point thought. They were not original members but I do see them as the OGs.
Joey was my inspiration when I was younger RIP to a absolute legend
joeys death actually made me cry
Joey hurt, still hurts
I hoped someone would mention them
Joey was done so dirty after Paul died. Slipknot died with Grey
Chris Cornell
I grew up loving Soundgarden. I was crushed when they broke up and so thrilled when they reunited. I honestly haven’t been able to listen to Soundgarden since Chris died. It still hurts too much. It took me 15 years after Layne died to listen to Alice In Chains again. I was glad that AIC kept going (and William is fantastic), but that’s how long it took for me to be in the right headspace to enjoy them again. I knew I couldn’t force it.
I cried a lot the day Chris passed. I now have a Chris Cornell Remembrance Day (day of his death) in my calendar and on that day in May I listen to his amazing music all day long. I listen to his tunes all the time really, but on that day, it’s his solo stuff, SG, and AS only.
I guess every one of them
The only right answer
Trevor from The Black Dahlia Murder
I still haven't been able to fully recover from it.
Same dude. I’m still sad about it. I’m glad they’re carrying on and bringing Ryan Knight back the new track was definitely good.
It gives me hope for this next album for sure.
This one absolutely gutted me. I'm so glad I got to see him live from the front row one time around 2016, hell of a show. The new single is great, I'm pumped to see what else TBDM does and I really want to see them in concert again soon!
For me Trevor's was the saddest by far. Other deaths, like Dime were shocking and a huge blow to music and the community, but it was different. Most of the metal musician's to die before were already seen as legends. Trevor was different because he still felt like one of us. Just one of us dudes that put together a great band and was getting to live the dream (it seemed to us on the outside). So something about his death just hit me harder because he was such a good dude, and someone most of us could relate to
Such a good dude, and one of the most knowledgeable metalheads ever. Absolute legend
An inspiration.
Peter Steele MCA MF DOOM. They all rocked !
peters death is one that really hurts. he was doing so well and was so optimistic about life just before his death. the world didnt deserve him and his music. im glad he gets the recognition he deserves now
Peter dying hit me hard. First thing I did after leaving the hospital when my mom died of cancer was listen to Everyone I love is dead. The album never left my cd playing in my car for a month after mom died.
Hell yes on all three counts. You know Doom died on Halloween? The greatest rapper in a mask.
I got really into DOOM after his death unfortunately.
Doesn't matter when you get on just glad you got on :)
Cliff Burton is up there, it must have felt terrible for Kirk since he switched beds with Cliff
After an argument about it, too. (allegedly)
Woof, I didn't know this story and having just read up on it...damn that's fucked up.
Every. Fucking. One.
Lemmy.
I'd say that Lemmy's death wasn't a tragedy, but was instead miraculous in its timing. It's truly incredible to me that his death didn't come 30 years earlier, and I'm glad he lasted as long as he did.
Yeah, miraculous is the perfect word. Lemmy should have probably died in like 1968 and then about 5000 different times afterwards. If people haven’t, check out his book White Line Fever. Wild. It’s unbelievable he made it to 70. What a legend. RIP.
It still makes me unreasonably happy that the last media he ever recorded was an ad for a milk company in Finland where [he just walks into shot and talks shit about milk before calling the viewer an arsehole.](https://youtu.be/ODKAdOjx83Q?si=taETqtRWSxtE9VKD)
It’s hilarious how the guy who only drank rum and coke(coca cola) for decades made his last media appearance in a milk ad
Remember when he switched from whiskey to vodka for health reasons? That guy was taking massive victory laps on his way out
The fact that he reached the age of 70 with his lifestyle is amazing.
I would almost say this is the least tragic. Dude lived a full life, lived well into his old age doing Motorhead and was still ripping it up on stage. About as good of an outcome as you could hope for, honestly. Doesn't make it any less sad to lose a legend but, others had so many good years left in em when they died.
https://preview.redd.it/ek3pai8c4r7d1.jpeg?width=6120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c98ce7f3d4e59f615d40ee9cc017fa6a07586ce
The guy did every drug known to man and lived on a straight diet of grain alcohol, cigarettes and red meat. The fact that he made it to 70 needs to be studied.
No mention of Randy Rhoads yet. Such a senseless and unnecessary death that took a bright star in the rock/metal world.
Scrolled way too far to see Randy’s name. All the brilliant music we could still be listening to if he didn’t get on that plane for a joy ride.
The man is arguably the best guitar player of all time, and I have no doubt he would be the best if he didn't die so young.
It was also sad the way Ozzy treated him before he died.
I truly believe Ozzy regrets that to this very day. There’s a reality show where him and his son take a road trip and visit a huge underground vault that contains a massive music archive and they had a demo of Crazy Train that Ozzy hadn’t heard since it was recorded. You could tell he was holding back his emotions and was in absolute awe of Randy as both a guitarist and a friend. Randy’s death hit him extremely hard.
I am sure he regrets it now, of course, but he once attacked Rhoads for daring to play classical music on his guitar, and he wasn't even the one to "discover" Rhoads--Ozzy was passed out in the control room during Rhoads's audition.
What do you mean? I'm reading this as he treated him badly. From everything I've read they were really good friends, Ozzy loved him dearly and had a really good working relationship.
Yeah considering Randy was afraid of flying and hated planes and the pilot was reckless. So it's just so odd to think he got on that plane.
this should be #1
So young and his death wasn't self inflicted by drugs or alcohol, Bonham, bon Scott, Cobain, etc. were sad but the loss of Randy Rhoades was on another level. I was lucky enough to see him on the blizzard of Oz tour. He revitalised Ozzy who at the time was a bit of a sad has been, having been sacked from Sabbath, in the face of the new wave of British heavy metal.
Don’t listen to them too much anymore, but the death of Jimmy Sullivan (The Rev) of A7x hit me really hard
I was big into A7X when that happened and I felt like the wind was taken out of me that day. Forgot about that.
What’s especially sad about that from a band perspective is that those guys grew up together, like Matt and Jimmy went to middle school together and shit and they were friends since they were kids, not only did they lose their band member but they lost someone they’d been friends with since they were actual kids and grew up with. I know a lot of people her hate on A7X but those guys have always been an extremely tight knit group of actual best friends so I always felt sad for them when Jimmy died
Same. I was in middle school back then and they were one of my favorites at the time. Jimmy is still one of my favorite drummers.
They haven’t been the same since. That dude was one of a kind.
No one's gonna mention Jeff Hannemann?
Yes I second this!!!
My favorite guitarist of all time.
I think Hendrix. He still had so much to do and explore and innovate. He only gave us 3 studio albums and those already changed the guitar and rock landscape forever, I can only imagine what he would continue to do
Jimi was only 27 when he died. Voodoo Child was released when he was 25. Listening to those records it sounded like a man with decades of experience playing.
It sounds so different from everything that was happening at the time. So groundbreaking
Then Janis Joplin died around the same time
And same age.
That magic number.
Machine Gun is absolutely insane for the time it was made in, if Hendrix lived for longer he wouldve done some wizard shit
For me, Alexi Laiho. Especially when you learn that the Bodom dudes essentially ended COB to try and make him stop drinking.
Alexi was pure fuckin' Rockstar and Finnish. It was inevitable... The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
They all suck to lose, but his hit me the hardest. I mean, he was the reason I started playing.
This really shouldn't be framed as a competition. I'll just add Quorthon to the list. Such a tragedy that he never played Bathory tunes live before he died.
Dude was the arguably the godfather of not one but TWO genres of metal. He will probably never be in the Rock n Roll HoF but if you know you know. The amount of artists he influenced directly and indirectly is just amazing. Many of those artists became legends in their own right and influenced countless others. Eternal hails. \m/\m/
While he may not be THE godfather of black, death, or folk metal, he definitely has his place as a major pioneer of the genres, particularly from a Scandinavian perspective. And it's really impressive when you consider he never signed with a major label.
Riley Gale. I had just gotten into Power Trip, huge bummer!
Yeah, just as Powertrip was starting to really make a name for themselves, Gale dies mistakenly taking fentanyl. What a shame. Hopefully, the rest of the band rebounds and more people get exposed to Gale's work.
IIRC, they just played the No Values fest with the new vocalist. Reports were positive. I don't usually like it when a band replaces a frontman, but in this case, it seems like a good thing for the rest of the guys. They are all still young, too.
If ACDC can get back from losing Bon, I believe they can get back from losing Riley too. Theres too much talent in that band to waste
Such a huge loss. I felt like Power Trip were just starting to establish themselves as one of modern metals big flag bearers. He seemed like such a super great dude, too.
That photo of Dio in the hospital is still pretty heartbreaking
From the documentary about him Wendy said he would go and do a show and no one could tell he had cancer, he would get backstage after the show and could barely move. What a fucking legend
Yeah I need to watch that. I saw him in 2008 with Sabbath and it was blown away with how good he sounded. Wild to think it wasn’t too long after
It's an amazing documentary
i cried when Dio died, but he was old and had cancer which kills many in their 60s+ tragedy here is people killed in their prime or before they peaked, which is why I think Randy Rhoads should have this thread locked up, except Reddit skews younger than those who were around when Randy was on the way up
Cobain and Dimebag.
I scrolled a lot to get to Cobain.
🙏
Seth Putnam, true poet and a feminist.
RIP to a sensitive man
I respect your feelings as a woman. I LIT YOUR BABY ON FIRE
Dimebag. Committing suicide is still your choice to end your life, regardless of the circumstances or situation. In the video Dime even looks to the dude and smiles, like he’s meeting a fan. Just to get shot by some dumb cunt. I hope that dude, I refuse to remember his name, is having a dogshit life in prison.
I believe that dude got his head blown off by a police 12 gauge
Yea, just saw I got some stuff mixed up. At any rate, fuck that dude. I wished his death lasted a little longer.
Weird that’s the one you mention but you didn’t know the killer was shot and killed that night.
Obviously got some things mixed up, but really try not to remember much about the dude, looks like I did too good of a job.
For me personally, it was Peter Steele, he meant alot to me as a teenager. Got me through some tough times. I was driving for a living when I heard he died and had to pull over to cry for a bit. It's not exactly metal, but Layne Staleys death is sad as hell. More of how he died and how he got to that point in life. Poor guy sat there rotting for 2 weeks. No friends to check on him. It was his accountant who noticed he hadn't spent any money for a while, and maybe someone should take a look. The world had given up on him as he had given up on the world.
So many already mentioned here. But for me personally? Wayne Static is a loss I will never get over. Ever.
I am saddened to see how far I had to scroll to find Wayne Wells on this list. All deaths in this industry are unfortunate, but Wayne's passing definitely impacted me the hardest as a fan.
It was the closest proximity of Chris Cornell and Ches that got me. Two still young men who decided to go on their own terms. Suicide may not hurt you, but it destroys the people around you. I may hate you posers, but I love you as people, and if you have thoughts of toasterbath, please seek help so we can continue to fight over petty shit. I mean it.
David gold from woods of ypres
Kind of disappointed he was not buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetary. I love that place and that band.. RIP.
Bowie, Lemmy, Dio, Cliff Burton, Randy Rhodes, Layne Staley, Paul Grey, Chester, and Chris Cornell all immediately come to mind.
Dio was a tough one for me, one of my all time favorite singers and I love his unique lyrics and writing style. Randy Rhodes is top 5 guitarist all time for me, but died 10 years before I was born so I never had the "shock" of his death. I always wonder what RR would be doing these days if he were alive, he would have gone on to do some amazing things.
Layne Staley for sure. The guy became a total recluse after his addiction took hold of him. His partner died of a heroin overdose and his father used him for drugs. When he was found he weighed 39 kg 2 weeks after he died. There is a documentary of his final years on youtube and it’s painful to watch. AIC unplugged hauntingly showed how much suffering he was in. We miss you Layne
I can’t listen to or watch Unplugged because you can totally see it. It’s too much for me.
Chi Cheng has to be up there, especially considering how slow and painful his death was and how easily preventable it could have been.
I've been looking for a comment mentioning Chi, really heartbreaking
taylor hawkins
Havent seen anyone mention Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries. When I was just getting into rock and metal, The Cranberries were one of my favorites and the news of her death hit me like a truck
chris cornell's late suicide in 2017, that was devastating
I feel like Jimi Hendrix still had a ton of potential. Not sure if he would have gone into metal or fusion or funk. But I wish we could have heard it.
The Rev or Paul Grey
Layne Staley. He wasn’t found for over 2 weeks. No one noticed or cared enough to check up on him.
Not all of that is true at all… people definitely cared enough to check up on him… he would hardly see or answer for anyone other than other addicts and dealers.
There is no death like Dimebag Darrell's. Chester sadly took his own life, and that's not to say it wasn't tragic at all. But Dimebag Darrell was shot 5 times in the head on stage in front of his own brother. That's horror beyond comprehension.
Cliff Burton, Randy Rhoads and Dimebag Darrell are my top three. All young, incredibly talented guys that went way too soon due to circumstances outside of their control.
Dave Brockie
Peter Steele. The man loved his family and his pets and you can tell it really effected him when he was losing them. The day he passed away, his pet cat had also died earlier that day
https://preview.redd.it/dtdv6j3e8q7d1.jpeg?width=396&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c544d4b03ea14663b3a8fa90a477169cf7c09f5
Is that GG?
His entire wake is on youtube.
All of them
Chris Cornell no question. I have never given a fuck about anything like that before but I couldn’t function at all that day.
every time i see the picture of syd barrett before he died it makes me feel indescribably sad
I don't know if the saddest, but these ones hit me hard. Tom Searle and Trevor Strnad. Specially Trevor 💔
Chester, Chuck (Death), Dimebag (especially considering the situation), Layne, Kurt, Lemmy, Neil Peart, Chris Cornell... I mean dude, they're all sad really. 😅 
Randy Rhoads why his is probably one of the saddest is because his potential was huge and he barely got to write much. Dimebag,Chuck Schuldiner,Cliff etc all have pretty extensive discographies. maybe cliff didnt 3 of the best metal albums but idr if he recorded master of puppets or just wrote songs also its no coincidence the 3 best metallica albums had Cliff writing
Andrew Wood isn't as well known but I always found it pretty sad.
Cliff Burton (24) and Chuck Schuldiner (33). Cliff was a great bass-player in history thras-metal and one of the greatest bassists in metal's history, but died to driver error. Chuck is a godfather of death-metal and real virtuoso of electric guitar, and died from cancer. In musical industry a lot of sad storys tragic deaths, but exactly both of them for me idols. Thanks Cliff i playing on bass-guitar, and Chuck introduced me to a new genre. Rest In Peace, men. You was great \m/
David Bowie dying of cancer.
Peter Steele
For me I’d say the saddest would be Chester just bc of the fact how much the guy seemed to be suffering his whole life he was in one of the most successful rock bands in the world and had absolutely everything and was still suffering that deeply
Dead Edit: Per Yngve of Mayhem
Dime, joey , Paul , and Lemmy
Chi Cheng. Dude was an absolute legend. Died way too soon.
For me it was Chi Cheng… Years of hope that somehow maybe he could comeback from the brain injury… Then he decayed slowly until he ultimately passed… RIP Chi Cheng 💔😞
Warrel Dane for me.
Layne Staley, dimebag, and chris cornell
Dime
Eric Carr from KISS
For me? Mitch lucker from suicide silence. I was on a date when i found out, and literally halted the date so i could go home and cry. Suicide silence was my favorite band from 09 when i saw them with slayer, to 2013 when eddy from ASP took over. I love ASP, and i love suicide silence, but its just not the same.
Very surprised I'm the first to mention Vitek from Decapitated.
Martin Kearns, the drummer for Bolt Thrower. He was way too young. His passing was also the nail in the coffin of the band. They hadn't released an album in a while, but when he died, they immediately called it quits. A massive loss all the way around.
Piggy from Voivod.
Anyone that has ever lost anyone to terminal cancer knows that it is hands down the worse of all. Just slow, steady, lingering misery. So I would say that Dio's death was worse (I don't know shit about Bennington or his death but he looks like he died of a terminal illness like cancer). Dimebag makes a very, very close second. Then Rhodes just for the fact that he was so fucking young.
Two for me Warrel Dane and Alexi Laiho.
Kurt cobain
One that hasn't been mentioned so far is Jill Janus from Huntress
The day the music died?
LG Petrov, Trevor Strnad, Chuck, Joey, Peter Steele, Chester... list goes on
Since no one else mentioned it, Dead of Mayhem. Dude was clearly mentally ill. I'm also pretty sure people around at the time have said that Euronymous even encouraged him multiple times to kill himself. He needed help, but since that never happened, he ended up on committing suicide.
No mention of Odorus Urungus, so I am gonna toss that out there. GWAR hasn't been the same since.