Joey Jordison, former drummer of Slipknot, dead at 46

Former drummer of band Slipknot, Joey Jordison has died at the age of 46. The musician's death was confirmed by his family in a statement issued to Billboard.

"We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021," the statement said.

"Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable 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 statement continued, "The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time. The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes."

The drummer helped set up Slipknot in his native Iowa in 1995 with Shawn Crahan and Paul Gray. In 2013, the band announced that they'd be "parting ways" with Jordison- which he claimed came out of the blue.

The band had cited "personal reasons" as the cause of the split but Jordison had later claimed he was fired from the band.

"No band meeting? None. Anything from management? No, nothing," he had told in an interview in 2016. "All I got was a stupid f--king email saying I was out of the band that I busted my a-- my whole life to f--king create."

Also in 2016, the musician revealed that his exit from Slipknot came alongside his getting sick with a disease called transverse myelitis which was basically an inflammation of both sides of one section of the spinal cord.