Former Slipknot Drummer Joey Jordison Dies Age 46 - TheRockFix.com
Former Slipknot Drummer Joey Jordison Dies Age 46

Former Slipknot Drummer Joey Jordison Dies Age 46

3 years ago | July 28, 2021 | Written By

Metal musician Joey Jordison – who co-founded Slipknot, and has also worked with the likes of Korn, Sinsaenum, and more – has died at age 46.

In a statement, Jordison’s family confirmed he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

“We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021. He was 46.”

“Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow. To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music.”

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“The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time. The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes.”

Jordison helped form Slipknot with percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray back in 1995. His death comes just over a decade after that of fellow founding member Paul Gray, who died of a drug overdose in 2010.

Four years after forming the band released their debut album receiving acclaim from critics and fans alike. Joey played with the band up until 2013, when Slipknot announced it’s split with him but did not disclose the reason for his exit.

In 2018, Jordison revealed he had been suffering from acute transverse myelitis – an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibres – with symptoms starting back in 2010, but it was not diagnosed for a long time. This ultimately led to the drummer temporarily losing the use of his legs.

Jordison and the members of Slipknot continued to be silent and evasive about the reasons for his dismissal from the band until 2016, when Joey finally spoke about it while accepting an award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.

Joey stated that he was fired from the band without a band meeting or “anything from management”. He said “All I got was a stupid fucking e-mail saying I was out of the band that I busted my ass my whole life to fucking create. That’s exactly what happened and it was hurtful. I didn’t deserve that shit after what I’d done and everything I’d been through.”

He continued “They got confused about my health issues and obviously even I didn’t know what it was at first. They thought I was fucked up on drugs, which I wasn’t at all.”

“I’ve been through so many things with those guys and I love them very much. What’s hurtful is the way it went down was not fucking right. That’s all I want to say. The way they did it was fucking cowardly. It was fucked up.”

Back in 2014, frontman Corey Taylor told Metal Hammer that firing Jordison was “one of the hardest decisions” the group had ever made, adding that Joey was “in a place in his life” which is “not where we are.”

Taylor said he couldn’t get into the specifics for legal reasons, but said “It’s when a relationship hits that T-section and one person’s going one way and you’re going the other. And try as you might to either get them to go your way or try and go their way, at some point you’ve got to go in the direction that works for you. This is me speaking in the broadest terms, with respect to Joey. I guess to sum it up, it was one of the hardest decisions we ever made.”

Despite the circumstances surrounding his dismissal, Jordison praised the band’s 2014 album “.5: The Gray Chapter”, saying “I listened to the whole record multiple times. And I think it’s great. It’s fucking cool and I’m glad they moved on.”

Aside from Slipknot, Jordison played guitar for the punk band Murderdolls, as well as drums for metal groups Korn, Scar the Martyr, and – most recently – Sinsaenum.

Following the announcement of his death, fans and fellow musicians paid tribute across social media.

The official Slipknot social media pages, along with the pages of Corey Taylor, Shawn Crahan, and Jim Root have all posted a black square, a symbolic statement expressing their mourning over Jordison’s death.

Trivium drummer Alex Bent wrote on Twitter “I don’t have words, to call him an inspiration would be an understatement. Countless hours studying every move behind the kit. I owe so much to Joey Jordison and could never imagine being where I am today without his influence. RIP”

Skin, of Skunk Anansie, wrote “RIP @thejoeyjordison One of the most ferocious and entertaining bands we ever played with. What a drummer! Rock has lost another legend 💔”

Frank Turner tweeted “Very sad to hear about Joey Jordison. Never crossed paths but he was an incredible musician. 46 is no age. RIP.”

Of Mice And Men Drummer Valentino Arteaga said “Rest in power Joey Jordison🖤 You inspired myself & so many other musicians to push all imaginable limits. Your legacy is legendary, thank you.🙏🥁💯”

The Rock Fix sends our condolences to Joey’s family and friends at this time.

Check out one of Joey’s crazy drum solos here:

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