The family of Vinnie Paul is holding a public memorial for the late Pantera and Hellyeah drummer this weekend in his hometown of Texas.
Vinnie Paul Public Memorial In Texas
Fans of the beloved rock legend will get a chance to see and send him off on Sunday, July 1, at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. A private ceremony will also be held on Saturday, June 20.
According to the event announcement posted on Facebook, no advance tickets be sold prior to the memorial. Fans who want to pay tribute to the heavy metal rocker should get wristbands at the Bomb Factory venue starting at 12 noon on Sunday.
The memorial itself is scheduled to begin at 3:33 p.m. To fans of the drummer, Vinnie Paul refers to 3:33 as "Dime Time," a tribute to his brother, Dimebag Darrell, who was killed by a deranged fan while onstage in December 2004.
Vinnie Paul is expected to be buried beside his brother and his mother, Carolyn, in Texas. He is survived by his father, Jerry Abbott, and his long-term girlfriend, Chelsey Yeager.
Vinnie Paul's Death 'Not Suspicious'
The Las Vegas Review-Journal revealed that the Metropolitan Police has declared that the death of Vinnie Paul was "not suspicious." The investigation has been turned over to the Clark County coroner's office to determine the exact cause and manner of the rock icon's death.
On Friday, June 22, the police were dispatched to Procyon Street in Las Vegas after receiving a dead-body call from the home of Vinnie Paul. Medical personnel also arrived at the scene, but the renowned drummer was pronounced dead on the spot. No homicide detectives were also called to look into the case, further suggesting that the rock star was considered medically deceased.
As of this writing, no official cause of death has been released to the public, but earlier reports claim that he died of a major heart attack.
Megadeth, Avenged Sevenfold Pay Tribute To Vinnie Paul
At a concert in Hellfest in France over the weekend, Megadeth dedicated their performance of "My Last Words" to the heavy metal legend.
"This next song we're gonna do for you, we played it last night for the first time in nearly 20 years," said Dave Mustaine, vocalist/lyricist of Megadeth. "We haven't played this song for a very long time and we dedicated it to a very old friend of mine — all of ours — who passed away.
Avenged Sevenfold also commemorated the death of Vinnie Paul at the music festival on Saturday, June 23. The heavy metal band showed a montage of photos of the late rock star as they walk to the stage. "Walk," a song by Pantera released in 1992, also played in the background.
They later dedicated the song "Hail To The King" to their late colleague and friend.
"I woke up to the worst text message I could get which was about Vinnie Paul passing away last night," said M.Shadows. "We all understand that this life is brief, we all understand that our friends are gonna go at some point. All we can do is honor him the best way we can."
