Jeff Hanneman, a founding member and guitarist of the thrash metal band Slayer, died yesterday after suffering liver failure.
Hanneman, 49, died at a Los Angeles hospital with his wife at his bedside. His rep Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald indicated the ravages of a spider bite in 2011 may have been a contributing factor in his untimely death.
Slayer announced his passing yesterday on their Facebook and Twitter pages:
Hanneman and guitarist Kerry King formed Slayer in 1981 after they met at an audition for another band and decided to go out on their own.
Their breakthrough came five years later with the release of the landmark album Reign in Blood. They went on to become one of the ‘Big Four’ thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeath and Anthrax, selling nearly 30 million albums.
Jeff Hanneman was influenced by punk music growing up, and played a large role in writing and contributing lyrics on each one of Slayers albums, including the songs, ‘Raining Blood,’ ‘War Blood,’ and ‘Seasons in the Abyss.’
The guitarist stopped touring in early 2011 after he contracted a spider bite that subsequently triggered the debilitating skin disorder necrotizing fasciitis, causing the degradation of deep layers of skin and tissue.
He is survived by his wife Kathy, a sister Kathy and brothers Michael and Larry.
Photo Credit: WENN