Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison dies at 46

Joey Jordison, drummer and co-founder of heavy metal rock band Slipknot, died on Monday, July 26 (in the US) at the age of 46. According to a Variety report, his family confirmed that Jordison died “peacefully in his sleep.”

The family said in a statement that his death has “left [them] with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow – to those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music.”

They asked friends, fans, and the media to understand and respect their need for privacy as they grieve during this “incredibly difficult time.” The family will be holding a private funeral service for family and close friends.

Jordison, who grew up in a small town called Waukee, co-founded the hard rock band in December 1995 with the late bassist Paul Gray, who died in 2010, and percussionist Shawn Crahan. They rose to fame from their origin local town of Des Moines, Iowa. Along with original vocalist Anders Colsefni, the group self-released their first demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. in October 1996. Months later, Colsefni was replaced with Corey Taylor, among many other future changes in the group’s line-up.

They released their debut album Slipknot in 1999. Their second album Iowa was released in 2001, followed by 2004’s Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses) and 2008’s All Hope is Gone, which debuted at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Their fifth album .5: The Gray Chapter was released in 2014, and their sixth, We Are Not Your Kind, in 2019.

The group bagged multiple Grammy awards from 2001 to 2016 for Best Metal Performance, Hard Rock Performance, and Best Rock Album.

Aside from his energetic drumming performances and aggressive rhythms, Jordison was also know for co-writing many of Slipknot’s songs. He departed from the group in late 2013 due to “personal reasons” at the time, but other reports said that he was fired from the band.

According to an NME report in June 2016, Jordison revealed years later that he was suffering from a neurological disease called transverse myelitis, a form of multiple sclerosis where he “lost his legs.” During this time, he said that he was working on some music with a new band Vimic.

Jordison was also a guitarist for the horror rock band Murderdolls and was the drummer and founder of Scar the Martyr from 2013 to 2016. Before his death, he last played for death metal band Sinsaenum, which was formed in 2016. – Rappler.com