Joey Jordison, founding member and drummer of American Heavy metal band Slipknot, died at the age of 46.
Born Nathan Jonas Jordison on April 26th 1975, Jordison “peacefully died in his sleep” last Monday. The exact cause of death was not specified.
A statement from Jordison’s family read, “Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribably sorrow. 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.”
Jordison’s “stoic presence behind the drum kit and virtuosic drum solos" made him a favorite member for fans, Rolling Stone wrote. It also mentioned that Jordison “was instrumental to Slipknot’s songwriting and his neck-rattling rhythms and death-metal blastbeats were a crucial ingredient to the band’s sudden success.”
Slipknot was formed in Des Moines, Iowa in 1995. It was Jordison who suggested that the band he then played with, change its name to Slipknot. The nine-member group wore “nightmarish masks and fused metal and rap aggression.” Slipknot shot to fame in the early aughts and was at the head of the burgeoning nu-metal scene at the time. Their 1999 self-titled debut album is certified double-platinum.
Jordison left Slipknot in 2013. Eventually he revealed that he suffered from a neurological disease called Transverse Myelitis, wherein Jordison said, “I lost my legs. I couldn’t play anymore. It was a form of multiple sclerosis that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”
But Jordison fought his way back from the debilitating condition through exercise, conditioning and therapy and continued to write and record music with several high-profile Heavy metal bands. He formed a glam metal-horror band called the Murder Dolls wherein he was the guitarist before settling on his most recent bands called Vimic and Sinsaenum.