One Year Ago Today...

[Riesen]

Metal music lost its greatest guitarist and I lost my idol. Dimebag Darrell was shot down on stage while trying to do something he loved, play for his fans. He was a great man, and it still sucks knowing he has been silenced forever.

[all.your.base]

beard makes him look liek a rooster.

[Send]

Abbott was murdered while performing on December 8, 2004 at a Damageplan concert at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. Nathan Gale, 25, of Marysville, entered the nightclub at about 10pm, just after the performance began, after scaling an eight-foot fence and being chased into the building by club security. He entered the left side of the stage and proceeded across to the right where Dimebag was standing. Gale then grabbed Dimebag and shot him twice in the head with a Beretta pistol at point blank range. Dimebag received a total of five to eight gunshot wounds.

Three others were killed in the shooting: attendee Nathan Bray, 23, of Columbus; club employee Erin Halk, 29, of northwest Columbus; and Damageplan security guard Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson, 40, of Texas. The band's drum technician, John Brooks, and tour manager, Chris Paluska, were also injured.

According to police, Gale fired a total of fifteen shots, taking the time to reload once, remaining silent throughout the shooting (although early reports indicated he made disparaging remarks about the breakup of Pantera). When security staff and audience members climbed the stage to try to stop him, Gale fired at them, killing Halk and Thompson and wounding Paluska. Gale then took Brooks hostage, holding him in a headlock position after the technician attempted to wrestle him to the ground. When the hostage moved slightly, Columbus police officer James D. Niggemeyer, who was the first officer on scene, shot and killed Gale with a 12 gauge police issue shotgun in the back of the head.

During the rampage, nurse and audience member Mindy Reece, 28, went to the aid of Abbott. She and another fan administered CPR until paramedics arrived [1]. According to some reports, victim Nathan Bray was also attempting to render assistance when he was killed.

The shootings occurred on the 24th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon, but there is no indication that this was a factor in Gale's actions.

In May 2005, Officer James D. Niggemeyer went before the Franklin County grand jury, which is charged with formally investigating police shootings. As expected, Niggemeyer was cleared and commended on his outstanding police work in the time of a crisis. He was recently accorded a national honor for his service, and is considered a hero by many fans of Dimebag.

Originally, it was thought that Gale acted on rumors of a Pantera breakup, but later investigators have also ruled out the theory that the killing was over a public dispute between Dimebag and Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. [2]

The song "In This River", from the Black Label Society album Mafia was written before Dime's death and later tributed in loving memory to Dimebag by a very close personal friend Zakk Wylde.

Also featured on the newest Nickelback album, All the Right Reasons, is a song titled "Side of a Bullet" which features lyrics dedicated to Dimebag and an outtaked guitar solo from the Far Beyond Driven era.

[PH]

http://www.pantera.com/guestbook.html

People have been signing this thing left and right today. I noticed that quite a few of the people who have signed are from other countries. It made me realize that Dimebag wasn't just looked up to by the average American metal fan.

I still can't believe he's gone. RIP Dime.

[DoTheFandango]

Can I post it?

[PH]

NO YOU MOTHERFUCKER. Have some respect. Just this once. Please.

[DoTheFandango]

Ok fine.

[Send]

hey why dont we make a YTMND to mock his death

[Cleve-YB]

Metal music lost its greatest guitarist and I lost my idol. Dimebag Darrell was shot down on stage while trying to do something he loved, play for his fans. He was a great man, and it still sucks knowing he has been silenced forever.

thanks to that confederate flag on his guitar i laught at his death.

[Liquid Blue]

thanks to that confederate flag on his guitar i laught at his death.

Yes, that's the smart mature thing to do.

[DoTheFandango]

hey why dont we make a YTMND to mock his death

I was way ahead of this guy.

[Riesen]

thanks to that confederate flag on his guitar i laught at his death.

Thanks to this comment, you'll drop out of high school, get your GED on your 4th try, and bag my groceries for the rest of your life.

[Da1andonly]

IMHO he wasn't the best guitarist at all :/

[DoTheFandango]

It's the day after, can I post it?

[PH]

You made a YTMND, that's enough. Fuck off.