Jeff Hanneman, the founding member of metal band Slayer, has died.
According to TMZ the 49-year-old guitarist was in a hospital near his home in Southern California when his liver failed in the early afternoon.
A rep for Hanneman confirmed the tragic news to Us Weekly saying, “Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11 a.m. this morning near his Southern California home. He was 49.”
Hanneman and longtime friend and fellow Slayer guitarist Kerry King formed the thrash metal band in Huntington Park California in 1981. At the time both men were trying out for another band but opted to form their own.
Slayer, which includes Lead singer: Tom Araya, King, Dave Lombardo, Tom Araya, Jon Dette, Paul Bostaph, Tony Scaglione and Hanneman, are known for such songs as “Raining Dead,” “Angel of Blood,” “Seasons of Abyss” and “Bloodline.”
Hanneman is survived by his wife, sister and two brothers.
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