| Paul Gray | |
|---|---|
Paul Gray performing with Slipknot in 2005 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Dedrick Gray |
| Also known as | No. 2, The Pig |
| Born | April 8, 1972 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 2010 (aged 38) Urbandale, Iowa, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative metal, nu metal, death metal, heavy metal, alternative rock, stoner rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, vocals |
| Years active | 1995–2010 |
| Labels | Roadrunner, Nuclear Blast, Pale One, -ismist |
| Associated acts | Slipknot, Anal Blast, Vexx, Body Pit, Inveigh Catharsi, Unida, Reggie and the Full Effect, Painface |
| Website | www.slipknot1.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Ibanez PGB1L Signature Model Warwick basses |
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Paul Dedrick Gray (April 8, 1972 – May 24, 2010) also known as The Pig or by his number #2 was an American musician, best known as the bassist, primary songwriter and one of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning metal band Slipknot.
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Gray was born in Los Angeles, California. Later his family relocated to Des Moines, Iowa. In his youth, Gray performed in bands such as Anal Blast, Vexx, Body Pit, and Inveigh Catharsis.
In June 2003, Gray crashed his car into another vehicle. After police were called to the scene and searched his car, Gray was arrested for possession of cannabis, cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and failure to obey a traffic signal.[1][2]
At the time of his death, he was one of 3 original members of Slipknot remaining in the band, and the only one who had maintained his original role in the band due to Clown's switch from main drums to custom percussion during the early days. He was one of the two members not born in Iowa (the other is Jim Root, who was born in Las Vegas). In 2010 Slipknot released the Download 2009 performance on DVD in memory of Gray.
Besides Slipknot, Gray filled in as bassist for Unida during their 2003 tour, appeared on Drop Dead, Gorgeous' Worse Than a Fairy Tale, toured briefly with Reggie and the Full Effect and appeared on the Roadrunner United project, performing bass on "The Enemy" and "Baptized in the Redemption" from the project's album The All-Star Sessions.
On May 24, 2010, The Des Moines Register reported that Gray had been found dead in room 431 at the Towneplace Suites hotel in Urbandale, Iowa at about 10:50 a.m. local time.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] An initial autopsy determined that no foul play or trauma was involved, but could not establish the cause of death.[6][7][11] He is survived by his wife Brenna and their daughter. He also has a brother named Tony who worked for the band for many years.
The next day, May 25, 2010, the band held a formal press conference in Des Moines, Iowa. They did not take any questions from the media. The band, as well as Gray's brother, Tony, and wife, Brenna, paid tribute to him.
"He was kind of the person in the band that really wanted everybody in the band to always get along and just concentrate on the band. He was a really great friend and just a great person. He's going to be sadly missed, and the world is going to be a different place without him."
On June 21, 2010, autopsy results were released that stated Gray had died of an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl, and had also shown signs of "significant heart disease".[13] A month later, on July 30, Paul Gray was posthumously awarded the Kerrang! "Services to Metal" award; it was collected by his Slipknot bandmate Corey Taylor on his behalf.[14]
Mushroomhead, a band that Slipknot has had an on and off feud with, posted on their official Myspace page their thoughts about Paul Gray's death, stating:
"R.I.P. Paul Gray, This feud needs to end. Much Love and Respect to the guys in Slipknot".—Mushroomhead[15]
On November 8, 2010, items that decorated Gray's grave, including statues and ornaments, were stolen.[16] The band responded to this event with a post on their MySpace page, asking the robbers to return the stolen items.[17]
On March 10, 2011 it was announced that Donnie Steele will be filling in for him in the 2011 Summer tour.
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