Days after the rock band's original drummer passed away 'peacefully in his sleep,' his former bandmate pay homage to him, insisting that they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him.
- July 31, 2021
AceShowbiz - Slipknot have paid tribute to their original drummer, Joey Jordison, insisting they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him.
The rocker passed away "peacefully in his sleep" on Monday, July 26, aged 46, and on Friday, July 30 his former bandmates posted an eight-and-a-half-minute video tribute, featuring performance clips, online.
"Our hearts go out to Joey's family and loved ones at this time of tremendous loss," the band stated. "Joey Jordison's art, talent, and spirit could not be contained or be held back."
"Joey's impact on Slipknot, on our lives, and on the music that he loved, is incalculable. Without him there would be no us. We mourn his loss with the entire Slipknot family. We love you, Joey."
Jordison left the band in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. Singer Corey Taylor told Metal Hammer months later that the drummer had been fired, calling it "one of the hardest decisions" the group had ever made.
He said Joey was in a place in his life, which was "not where we are."
In 2016, Jordison revealed that his exit from Slipknot coincided with his battles with transverse myelitis and claimed his bandmates mistook his medical issues for a substance abuse problem.
"I lost my legs," he said onstage at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. "I couldn't play anymore. It was a form of multiple sclerosis, which I don't wish on my worst enemy."
It's unclear whether the condition had anything to do with his death.
