At the end of May 2010, the whole musical world was stirred by terrible news: the famous bass player of Slipknot Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel room. But even more shocking were the results of the examination, from which it followed that the musician died as a result of an overdose of drugs. The idol of millions passed away at the age of 38, but the memory of him remained in his music.
Childhood and youth
The future musician was born on April 8, 1972 in Los Angeles, where he spent his childhood. At the age of 13, Paul's family moved Des Moines to Iowa. This is where the boy’s talents begin to appear - Paul is keen on playing the bass. Since Gray did not have any connections or acquaintances in the world of the music business, the future seemed very illusive. But at one point, Paul Gray (photos are presented in the article) heard that a bass player is required in a music group. This was the impetus, thanks to which the musician strengthened his studies and began to persistently comprehend the basics of playing the guitar. According to the musician, he was inspired by such masters of rock as Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Les Claypool. Paul Gray bought bundles of tutorials and quickly reached unprecedented heights in the game.
The "finest hour" in the career
In 1995, the Slipknot group was formed. Paul Gray, Anders Kolzefini and Sean Crahan became its founders. The musicians agreed that the group has its own rules: play what you want and how you want. The goal for future stars was to create music that had not yet been before them, and a spectacle that no one had ever seen. And they succeeded, because Slipknot became a pioneer and gained many imitators from among the groups playing in this genre.
The rehearsal schedule and everything related to the creation of music in this group was quite specific and non-standard. Songs were run in secret, and it was impossible for women to attend. The musicians themselves performed Slipknot in work overalls, while it was forbidden to speak the real names of the artists, each of which was assigned a serial number. Paul Gray was numbered 2.
Main feature
In addition to excellent guitar playing, the musician became famous for putting on a beaver or pig mask for each performance. At the same time, she changed with the release of each new album. In an interview, Paul Gray admits that he did not buy his pig mask because he feels like this animal, it cost less than $ 2.
Despite the odd behavior of the participants, the Slipknot group has won many fans around the world. Soon, their albums become platinum, and the songs are nominated for "Grammy" as the best among heavy metal and hard rock songs.
First drug case
World fame and big money often negatively affect the lives of stars, and Paul Gray was no exception. In June 2003, the musician was arrested after a small accident that occurred in the city of Des Moines. The accident happened at 3:45 a.m. The driver of another car tried to find out the reasons for the accident, but Paul Gray couldn’t answer anything clearly, but only tried to hand in a check saying that he would pay for everything. The victim realized that the musician was not all right and called the police. The star had to be sent to the hospital, where tests performed showed that there were drugs in the musician’s blood. Two bags of marijuana and hemp were found in Gray's car.
Consequences of the incident
Since there were no victims in the accident, the musician spent only a week in prison, and after paying the fine ($ 4,300) he was released. In November, a state court found him guilty of drug use, awarded a fine of $ 500 and one year probation. Such a short period is due to the fact that the attending physician of the musician assured the judge that Paul does not use drugs constantly, but only indulges in them occasionally. Subsequently, the musician was not seen behind this addiction, and, it would seem, life should have been adjusted.
In 2008, the fourth studio album Slipknot was released, which wins the first lines of all the charts. In the same year, Paul Gray marries the star of the GodsGirls porn site, whose name is Brenna Paul. This marriage can be called successful, the musician even makes a tattoo with the name of his wife on his fingers. And at the end of 2009, in his blog on MySpace, the rock star wrote that he was preparing to become a father. “This is the happiest news of my life,” says Paul Gray.
Musician's funeral
On May 24, 2010, at around 10 p.m., Paul Gray was found dead by a staff member in a hotel where the musician was renting a room. An autopsy revealed no signs of violent death, so the body was sent for toxicological tests. Within a month, the whole world froze in anticipation of the results: why did Paul Gray die? The cause of death is an overdose of fentanyl and morphine, which led to cardiac arrest. As it turned out, the musician had been taking drugs for a long time, although he tried to carefully hide it. Pills and hypodermic needles were found near the body.
This message shocked many Slipknot fans, as most thought Paul Gray was a great role model. After the musician’s funeral, the whole group held a press conference at which the participants were without their masks as a sign of respect to the deceased bass player. On August 17, 2010, the widow of Gray gave birth to a daughter, who, alas, will never see her father.
Murder charges
Two years after the musician’s funeral, his attending physician is accused of manslaughter. According to prosecutors, Daniel Baldy prescribed huge doses of painkillers to his patients. Paul Gray is not the only victim, already eight doctor's patients have died from an overdose. According to official records, since the end of December 2005, Baldy has been prescribing potent drugs to Gray, an addict. At the moment, there has not been such a trial, and the doctor’s guilt is only indirect, but if the doctors are convicted, he faces a prison sentence of 16 years.
Some facts about the star
Despite the fact that Paul Gray left so early, his work will live forever. The musician was a rather interesting and extraordinary personality, which is confirmed by his biography. Perhaps his work was influenced by his favorite films, such as Exorcist, Radiance, and Phantasm. But Gray's main hobby was music. The best group the musician considered Black Sabbath, whose work had a huge impact on the bass player.