14 DAY TRIAL // Paul Gray, also known to fans as #2 or The Pig because of the mask he used to wear onstage, one of the founding members of Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel room in Iowa early Monday morning, MTV News reports. The rocker was just 38 years old and, so far, no cause of death has been established, which is why police have launched a death investigation.
Gray was arrested seven years ago for DUI and possession after a small amount of marijuana and cocaine was found in his vehicle, which was involved in an accident. Yet, as of now, it is not known whether drugs played any part in his sudden demise. Toxicology results will shed more light on this but, as is usually the case, it won’t be for another three weeks that they’re obtained. An autopsy is also expected to be performed.
“Slipknot bassist Paul Gray – one of the group's founding members – was found dead in an Iowa hotel room early Monday morning (May 24), according to reports. He was 38. The Des Moines Register reported that police were called to the TownePlace Suites hotel in Urbandale, Iowa, shortly before 11 a.m. after an employee discovered Gray’s body in a room. There was no evidence of foul play, police told the newspaper, but the investigation is ongoing and an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. A toxicology test will also be done to determine any contributing factors to his death. A spokesperson for Slipknot's label, Roadrunner Records, confirmed the report to MTV News,” MTV says.
“Gray, better known as #2 or ‘The Pig’ because of the mask he wore while performing with Slipknot, helped form the group in 1995, along with current members Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan and Joey Jordison. Though the band’s lineup shifted over the years – with members departing or switching instruments – Gray’s position within the group remained constant: He was the only bass player Slipknot ever had,” the same media outlet further says.
Furthermore, despite selling millions of albums and reaching international fame, the one thing that did not change about Slipknot was the connection they had with the fans. Gray, for one, would even often invite fans to his home – that much he’d say he was touched by the way they reacted to his and the band’s music.