AS HAMMER WENT to press this month, tragic news broke: Joey Jordison, founding member and original drummer of Slipknot, had passed away aged just 46. News first broke on the evening of Tuesday July 27, from an official statement from his family detailing that he had died peacefully in his sleep on July 26.
“Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow,” the statement read. “Those that knew Joey understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart, and his love for all things family and music. The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans, and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.”
Tributes soon poured in from across the rock and metal community. Joey was remembered fondly not just by his contemporaries, but by the bands he had idolised growing up and a legion more he himself had inspired. Trivium, Ministry, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Hatebreed, Code Orange… the list goes on, while elsewhere journalists, fans and PRs fondly recalled how he had changed their lives.