URBANDALE, IA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Urbandale police are reporting that Paul Dedrick Gray, the bassist for the band Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel room. He was 38.
According to local news outlet KCCI, the body was found by hotel workers who summoned police. Investigators reported no indication of foul play and witnesses on the scene reported that police were seen removing items from the room. The Polk County Medical Examiner’s Office is assisting in the investigation and will conduct an autopsy and toxicology tests on Tuesday to attempt to ascertain the cause of death.
Slipknot had been on a brief hiatus after ending their most recent arena tour in October, 2009. The band had been touring in support of their 2008 release "All Hope is Gone."
Gray had been arrested in 2003 after a traffic accident and had been charged with possesion of marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphanalia as well as a traffic offense, however a handwritten note by a doctor included in his case file indicated that the doctor did not think he was not addicted to drugs at that time and understood the consequences of drug use, the Des Moines register reported.
Gray, a native of Los Angeles, moved to Des Moines with his family as a youth. He was one of 3 founding members who were still performing with the band. Gray had been married and expecting his first child, according to his MySpace page.
"It’s just a devastating loss for the Des Moines music scene and the world’s music scene,” Matt Nyberg, a Des Moines musician told the Register. "He was always one of the nicest guys. You never heard anything negative from him." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
