Slipknot bassist Paul Gray found dead

Last Updated on Monday, 24 May 2010 22:13 Written by Des Moines Register Monday, 24 May 2010 22:07

     According to the Des Moines Register, Urbandale, Iowa police are investigating the death of SLIPKNOT's bass guitarist at a local hotel.  Paul Dedrick Gray, 38, of Johnston was found dead at approximately 10:50 a.m. today by an employee at TownePlace Suites (pictured above), 8800 Northpark Drive, police said.
    There was no evidence of foul play, police said.
    According to KCCI.com, the Polk County Medical Examiner's Office is assisting in the death investigation and will perform an autopsy on Tuesday. Toxicology testing will be completed to determine if there were any contributing factors in the death of Gray, police said.
Witnesses reported that items from the hotel room were carried out of the hotel around 2 p.m.
    Gray was born in Los Angeles, California, and later moved to Des Moines.
    Wikipedia shows that Gray has been married for two years to GodsGirls' Brenna Paul and has a tattoo of her name on his knuckles.
    In a December 2009 posting on his MySpace page, Gray revealed that his wife was pregnant with the couple's first child. "I am the happiest man on the face of the earth — literally!" he wrote. He added, "This has been the best Christmas I have ever had!"
    In April 2010 it was announced that Paul Gray had joined HAIL!, the supergroup featuring mainstays Tim "Ripper" Owens (BEYOND FEAR, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), David Ellefson (MEGADETH) and Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA). He was replacing the group's original member, David Ellefson, who was unable to take part in HAIL!'s upcoming touring activities due to his renewed collaboration with MEGADETH. At the time, Paul Gray stated about his involvement with HAIL!: "This is going to be amazing! After I heard the news about David reuniting with MEGADETH I touched base with Andreas and everything fell into place pretty immediately. I was excited about what they were doing and their whole attitude is just cool, old school camaraderie and fun and I wanted to share that with them. Fortunately, I had this window of time available as SLIPKNOT are on break so the timing worked perfectly. These guys have been through it all and they represent true metal brotherhood. I like that and I'm glad to now be a part of it. I can't wait, I wish we'd leave tomorrow. These shows are going to kick ass!"

Ronnie James Dio dead at 67

Last Updated on Sunday, 16 May 2010 21:09 Written by Wendy Dio Sunday, 16 May 2010 20:01

     Wendy Dio, wife/manager of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW), has released the following statements to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away."
"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all."
"We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us."
"Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss."
"Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."
    It was only a month ago that Dio, 67, spoke about his battle with cancer with the Artisan News Service on the "black carpet" of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which took place on April 8 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. When asked about how he had been feeling since he was diagnosed with the disease late last year, Dio said, "Well, I feel good and bad at times. It's a long process. Chemotherapy is a... I never realized what a difficult thing it was to go through. It's a real cumulative effect — the more you have, the more it piles up on top and it takes longer and longer to get over it. I find it very difficult to eat. I don't like to eat anyway, so I guess that's OK. But I know I have to. But this makes it very, very hard. But if you're determined to beat it, then you have to go with what you believe is going to beat it for you, and in this case it's that. I go to a great hospital in Houston called M.D. Anderson, which I think is the best hospital in the world, I have the best doctor in the world, Dr. Ajani, who I really trust and I really believe in, so I think I've done all the right things. It makes me feel positive about my life and positive that there is a lot more of it to live."
    Earlier this month, HEAVEN & HELL canceled its summer tour plans in Europe due to Dio's treatment for stomach cancer. The band said in a statement that Dio wasn't "well enough to tour this summer. We hope that everyone understands and want to thank fans and industry colleagues for their continuing support at this time."
    Ronnie James Dio had performed with ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and his own band DIO. Other musical projects included the collective fundraiser "Hear 'n Aid". He is widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. He was most recently involved with HEAVEN & HELL, a project which also included former BLACK SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice.   Their first and only studio album, "The Devil You Know", was released on April 28, 2009.

    Unfortunately, this was taken after one of his last shows with Heaven and Hell's on August 22, 2009. He was a true gentleman in every way and he will be sorely missed here at backstageaxxess.com!

Ozzfest 2010 lineup announced!!

Last Updated on Saturday, 01 May 2010 04:26 Written by Various Sources Saturday, 01 May 2010 01:45

    The official Ozzfest 2010 lineup and announcement of confirmed bands is finally here. One year on, after months of speculation, and after the original announcement that Ozzfest would make its heralded return to the festival circuit, the legend that is Ozzy Osbourne will take to the stage for SIX dates with just 13 BANDS on each date for Ozzfest 2010. Music will start at 1pm each day with the Village of the Damned returning.
    Co-headlining this years bill will be MOTLEY CRUE and ROB HALFORD, who will be performing solo material from HALFORD and FIGHT. Headlining the second-stage will be BLACK LABEL SOCIETY.
    Ozzy Osbourne will be touring and headlining in support of his new studio album, which will be called 'Scream.'

Official OZZFEST 2010 Lineup and Bands:

Main Stage

    * OZZY OSBOURNE
    * MOTLEY CRUE
    * ROB HALFORD
    * DEVILDRIVER
    * NONPOINT

Second Stage

    * BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
    * DROWNING POOL
    * KINGDOM OF SORROW
    * GOATWHORE
    * SKELETONWITCH
    * SAVIOURS
    * KATAKLYSM

Ozzfest 2010 will kick off off August 14 in San Bernardino and then make stops in Chicago, IL, Hartford, CT, Camden, NJ, Pittsburgh, PA and Boston, MA. More information is available at www.ozzfest.com.

Bret Michaels stabilized after a brain hemorrhage

Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 April 2010 23:15 Written by Various Sources Saturday, 24 April 2010 03:45

Last Updated on Saturday, 24 April 2010 03:49

Various Sources

    In the hours immediately following reports of a brain hemorrhage, Bret Michaels' fans have been poring over various websites looking for a hopeful update on the Poison frontman's health. Now, some encouraging words have leaked that Michaels may be better off than initially feared.
    TMZ is reporting that Michaels is "awake, in good spirits and talking" as of Friday evening (April 23). This information comes from Ambre Lake, the season-two winner of Michaels' "Rock of Love" reality show. TMZ reports that Lake has spoken with people close to Bret who say he's "stabilized and conscious."
    Lake's status update on the 47-year-old hair-metal legend is said to coincide with another unidentified "Rock of Love" contestant who is in touch with the other members of Poison.  Michaels was rushed to the hospital late Thursday evening, where doctors discovered he had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage, a rep for the singer confirmed to MTV News.
"After several CAT scans, MRIs and an angiogram, [doctors] decided to keep Michaels in the ICU and are running several tests to determine the cause [of the hemorrhage]," the source told People. "[It] will be touch and go for the next few days while he is under intense observation."
    The next 24 to 48 hours are considered critical for Michaels, and he will be closely monitored by the staff at the undisclosed hospital. Most recently, Michaels has been a contestant on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice."