Slayer\’s Jeff Hanneman passes away at 49

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It’s with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we report legendary guitarist Jeff Hanneman of Slayer has passed away at the age of 49. This was confirmed by a press release issued earlier tonight.

Hanneman passed away May 2 at 11 a.m. at home in Southern California. The dynamic Slayer axeman was forced to drop off Slayer’s live dates after contracting necrotizing fasciitis- most likely from a spider bite. However it has not been named the official cause of death. Part of his passing has been due to liver failure according to a press release from Slayer’s publcist.

The official release:

Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure.  He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.

We’re truly devastated by the passing of Jeff Hanneman, one of metal’s all-time greatest guitarists. Hanneman, the composer of ‘Angel of Death,’ ‘Raining Blood’ and dozens of other Slayer classics, will be missed by millions of metalheads worldwide. We’d like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Jeff Hanneman, along with his brothers in Slayer.

Today, we all raise our devil horns a little higher and bang our heads a little harder. Keep shredding in metal heaven, Jeff, you’ll never be forgotten and will live on forever.