Joey Jordison, Slipknot’s founding drummer and co-writer, has died aged 46.
A representative for his family told Rolling Stone that he died peacefully in his sleep but it did not specify the cause of his death.
“Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow,” a statement from Jordison’s family read.
“To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart, and his love for all things family and music. The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans, and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.”
Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Jordison played in a number of metal bands including the Pale Ones, who later became Slipknot. Jordison named the group after one of their song titles.
Jordison featured on the band’s first release, “Mate. Kill. Feed. Repeat”. A few years later in 1999, their self-titled debut album went double-platinum; Jordison’s furious, thundering rhythms were considered crucial to the band’s success.
He was also a central part of the group’s songwriting team, along with late bassist Paul Gray. Shawn “Clown” Crahan is now the only remaining original member of the group.
Jordison left Slipknot in 2013 for what he described at the time as “personal reasons”.
Of Slipknot’s nine-member lineup, which lasted from 1999–2010, Joey Jordison was the third to join the band. He was also the drummer and founder of Scar the Martyr, which formed in 2013 and disbanded in 2016.
With Slipknot, Jordison performed on four studio albums, and produced the live album 9.0: Live. Outside his major projects, Jordison performed with other metal groups such as Rob Zombie, Metallica, Korn, Ministry, Otep, and Satyricon.
Jordison was also known for his session work, which includes performances on many albums for many artists. He used several drum brands including Pearl and ddrum. Before his death, he was playing for the band Sinsaenum.