Halk, 29.Ībbott, 38, was known as an expressive guitarist who brought the fluid dynamics of Eddie Van Halen’s technique to Pantera’s much harder power-groove thrash. The other victims were 23-year-old fan Nathan Bray, Damageplan crew member Jeff “Mayhem” Thompson, 40, and club employee Erin A. The deaths came on the twenty-fourth anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. A stocky former Marine, Gale was reportedly upset that Pantera had broken up – last year – and may have blamed Abbott for the band’s acrimonious split. The shooter, Nathan Gale, 25, was killed by a Columbus police officer minutes after the violence erupted. The tragedy took place on the evening of December 8th at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio.

This story is from the Decemissue of Rolling Stone.Ī young fan obsessed with heavy metal shot and killed former Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and three other people during a show by Damageplan, Abbott’s latest band.