Read Hellyeah guitarist’s emotional anniversary tribute to Vinnie Paul

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Hellyeah guitarist Tom Maxwell pens letter to Vinnie Paul on the first anniversary of the drummer’s death

Hellyeah guitarist Tom Maxwell has paid tribute to his late bandmate Vinnie Paul on the first anniversary of the drummer’s death.

Maxwell shared an emotional letter on Hellyeah’s social media page on June 22, exactly a year after the former Pantera man died from dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease.

“I’m writing you this letter to tell you how much I miss and love you,” wrote Maxwell. “Never could I have imagined you not being here with us anymore. There’s so much all of us lost when you left us. Your smile, your infectious laugh, your always steadfast care of all those around you. Everything has changed now.

“Our family is just shards of what it used to be. It seemed like everyday was harder then the one before it. It’s hard just knowing that you’re not here to lift everyone up and make everything better with just the simplest things you always used to do. It’s hard waking up and trying to navigate thru such murky waters. We’re doing our best, some better then others, some not so much.”

You can read the full letter below.

Posted by hellyeahband on 

Hellyeah recently released the title track of their forthcoming sixth album, Welcome Home. Released on September 28, the album features Paul’s final recordings. Former Soulfly drummer Roy Mayorga will sit in on Hellyeah’s US tour, which begins on July 28 in Atlanta, Georgia.,

Hellyeah 2019 US tour dates
Jul 23: Atlanta Buckhead Theatre, GA
Jul 24: Myrtle Beach House of Blues, SC
Jul 26: Silver Springs The Fillmore, MD
Jul 27: Inwood Shiley Acres, WV
Jul 28: Boston House Of Blues, MA
Jul 30: Stroudsburg Sherman Theater, PA
Jul 31: Cleveland House Of Blues, OH
Aug 01: Green Bay The Green Bay Distillery, WI
Aug 03: Denver Summit, CO
Aug 04: Sturgis Iron Horse Saloon, SD
Aug 07: Minneapolis Varsity Theater, MN
Aug 08: Chicago House Of Blues, IL
Aug 10: Detroit The Fillmore, MI
Aug 11: Grand Rapids 20 Monroe Live, MI
Aug 13: Wichita The Cotillion, KS
Aug 14: Oklahoma City Diamond Ballroom, OK
Aug 16: Houston House Of Blues, TX
Aug 17: Dallas House of Blues, TX

Dave Everley
Dave Everley

Dave Everley has been writing about and occasionally humming along to music since the early 90s. During that time, he has been Deputy Editor on Kerrang! and Classic Rock, Associate Editor on Q magazine and staff writer/tea boy on Raw, not necessarily in that order. He has written for Metal Hammer, Louder, Prog, the Observer, Select, Mojo, the Evening Standard and the totally legendary Ultrakill. He is still waiting for Billy Gibbons to send him a bottle of hot sauce he was promised several years ago.