Friends shocked by death of Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul

Las Vegas Review-Journal

7 years ago

Vinnie Paul of the band Hellyeah performs in concert during Day 2 of the Rock Allegiance Festival at Talen Energy Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Chester, Pa. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)

Vinnie Paul, formerly of the band Pantera, performs in concert with Hellyeah at the Giant Center on Thursday, May 8, 2014, in Hershey, Pa. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)

Vinnie Paul’s friends remained in abject shock over the heavy-metal icon’s death on Friday night.

The hard-rock band Tinnitus, led by fellow drummer and one of Paul’s many Las Vegas friends Jeff Tortora, played two Pantera songs during their late-night gig at the rock club Counts Vamp’d on Saturday night.

No official report has been issued about Paul’s death Friday at his Las Vegas home, though celeb news portal TMZ reported Paul’s family as saying the treat drummer died in his sleep. He was 54.

Paul’s girlfriend, Chelsey Yeager, who referred to Paul as her “soul mate,” posted on her @chelseyeagerxo Instagram account: “I can’t begin to describe the pain in my heaart from this nightmare … I have no other words.”