A coroner’s report has confirmed that Vinnie Paul died from a heart condition.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office reported that the former Pantera drummer, who passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas aged 54, died as a result of dilated cardiomyopathy, which restricts the heart’s ability to pump blood. He was also suffering from severe coronary artery disease.
“Vincent Paul Abbott died from natural causes, specifically, dilated cardiomyopathy,” said a representative for the drummer. “Severe coronary artery disease was identified as a significant condition to the cause of death according to the official report submitted by the Clark County Coroner’s office. We ask that you please continue to respect the privacy of the family and friends of Vinnie Paul. No further statement will be issued.”
The drummer was born Vincent Paul Abbott in Texas in 1964 and went on to form Pantera in 1981 with his brother Dimebag Darrell Abbott. After replacing original singer Terry Glaze with Phil Anselmo, they went on to become on of the most successful metal bands of the 1990s.
The band officially split in 2003, with Vinnie and Dimebag forming Damageplan and released the studio album New Found Power in 2004.
Tragedy struck later that year when Dimebag was shot and killed onstage during a Damageplan gig in Ohio, on December 8 by gunman Nathan Gale, who also killed three more people and injured seven others that night.
Subsequently, Vinnie Paul joined Hellyeah, who released five albums between 2007 and 2016. The band's most recent albums, Undeniable, featuring a previously unreleased recording by Dimebag on a cover of Phil Collins track I Don’t Care Anymore.
The members of Hellyeah recently dimissed rumours that they planned to replace Vinnie Paul with ex-Norma Jean and Every Time I Die drummer Daniel Davison as “fake news.”
In the wake of Paul’s death, Hellyeah frontman Chad Gray posted a personal tribute to his bandmate, saying: “The good things are my memories of him. His smile, his infectious laugh and his personality that beamed light.
“Him and his brother Dimebag lived to make people smile. That’s what I’m gonna miss the most.”
