Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman Passes Away

Slayer guitarist and co-founder Jeff Hanneman has passed away yesterday (May 2) after suffering a liver failure near his home in Southern California. He was 49.

“Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11 a.m. this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed,” reads the official announcement.

Metal community was quick to react to shocking news, with fans and musicians from around the globe giving their condolences. As the composer of such timeless metal classics as “Angel of Death,” “Raining Blood,” “Seasons in the Abyss” and “War Ensemble” Hanneman will forever be remembered as one of the metal greats.

After co-founding Slayer with Kerry King in 1981 and releasing a total of ten studio albums, Hanneman stopped performing with the group in 2011 after contracting necrotizing fasciitis, a severe flesh eating disease, from a supposed spider bite.