Vinnie Paul Abbott: 1964-2018
Sad news to report out of the metal world as Vinnie Paul Abbott, best known as co-founder/drummer of Pantera has died at the age of 54.
News of Vinnie Paul’s passing was confirmed via Pantera’s Facebook page stating, “Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away. 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 rose to prominence as the drummer of Pantera, which he co-founded with his late brother “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott in 1981. The band would release nine studio albums including 1990’s Cowboys From Hell, 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power, 1994’s Far Beyond Driven and 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill, all four of which have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA.)
After Pantera broke up in 2003, the Abbotts would form the band Damageplan and released one studio album, New Found Power, in 2004. Tragically, Damageplan would disband later that year after “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was murdered during a show in Columbus, Ohio.
Since 2006, Vinnie Paul was drummer for HELLYEAH, which released five studio albums. In an interview in October 2017, Vinnie Paul said a sixth album was in the works and that the band would be heading into the studio the following month.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.
