The remaining band members of Slayer have confirmed that founding band member Jeff Hanneman’s death was due to alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver and a spider bite which caused a flesh-eating bacteria as previous reports suggested.
According to Reuters, the band released a statement Thursday putting to bed rumors which suggested that a flesh-eating bacteria was what took the heavy-metal bandmates life.
“While he had his health struggles over the years, including the recent necrotizing fasciitis infection that devastated his well-being, Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life," the statement begins as updated on their website. “Contrary to some reports, Jeff was not on a transplant list at the time of his passing, or at any time prior to that. In fact, by all accounts, it appeared that he had been improving – he was excited and looking forward to working on a new record.”
News of Hanneman’s untimely death surfaced last week. Hanneman was 49-years-old. He died in Southern California.