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Well I guess You took my mouth
I gave it all away
Like the birth of a New-found joy T
his love would end in rage
And when she died I couldn't cry
The pride within my soul
You left me incomplete
Memories now unfold.
"Cemetery Gates" - Pantera (1990)
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Dimebag Darrell was born on August 20th, 1966 in Dallas,
Texas. His parents named him Darrell Lance Abbott and music
seemed to be his destiny since Day One. His father, Jerry,
was a noted country songwriter and producer and definitely
had a hand in young Darrell's love of music.
Heavily influenced by KISS's Ace Frehley, Darrell, who's
original nickname was "Diamond Darrell," formed his first
musical outfit, Pantera, along with his brother Vinnie Paul,
in the early '80s. Originally consisting of Darrell, Vinnie,
bassist Rex Rocker (aka Rex Brown), and frontman Terry
Glaze, they issued a trio of pop-metal oriented albums
between 1983 and 1985. Glaze departed the band shortly
thereafter and new singer Phil Anselmo signed on. The band's
next album dropped in 1988. The band signed a major label
deal in 1990 with East West Records and dropped an album the
same year.
The band, led by Darrell's fiery guitar playing, eventually
went on to be one of the driving forces in metal music until
they more or less broke up in 2000. Despite the dissolution
of the band he started, Darrell and Vinnie teamed up to
forge Damageplan, officially unveiling the band in 2003.
Formed in Dallas, the band, which also consists of Pat
Lachman and Bob Kakaha, practiced and recorded at Darrell's
home studio, eventually releasing their debut album New
Found Power on Elektra Records in February 2004.
On December 8, 2004, while performing with Damageplan at the
Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag Darrell Abbott was
shot and killed onstage by Nathan Gale. Abbott was shot a
total of five times, at point-blank range in the back of the
head. He was 38 years old.
Three others were killed in the shooting: concert attendee
Nathan Bray, 23 of Columbus; club employee Erin Halk, 29 of
northwest Columbus; and Damageplan security guard Jeff
"Mayhem" Thompson, 40 of Texas. The band's drum technician,
John "Kat" Brooks, and tour manager, Chris Paluska, were
also injured.
Police then arrived on the scene. Five officers came in the
front entrance led by officer Rick Crum, and moved toward
the stage. Officer James D. Niggemeyer came in through the
back door, behind the stage. Gale only saw the officers in
front of the stage; he never saw officer Niggemeyer. When
the hostage moved his head, Officer Niggemeyer shot Gale in
the face with a police-issued 12-gauge shotgun. Gale was
found to have 35 rounds of ammunition remaining.
During the rampage, nurse and audience member Mindy Reece,
28, went to the aid of Abbott. She and another fan
administered CPR until paramedics arrived. Dimebag Darrell
was buried at the Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in
Arlington, Texas.
In May 2005, Officer Niggemeyer testified before the
Franklin County grand jury, which is routine procedure in
Franklin County after a police shooting. The grand jury did
not indict Niggemeyer, finding that his actions were
justified. Niggemeyer received a commendation from the Ohio
Peace Officer Training Commission for his outstanding police
work in time of crisis as well as The National Rifle
Association award as 2005 Law Enforcement Officer of the
Year. The five other officers that were first on the scene
received Ohio distinguished law enforcement medals for their
brave work. In 2006 James Niggemeyer penned the foreword to
A Vulgar Display Of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa
Villa.
Early theories of motive suggested that Gale may have acted
based on the Pantera breakup, or a public dispute between
Abbott and Pantera singer Phil Anselmo, but these were later
ruled out by investigators. Another theory was that Gale
believed Abbott had stolen a song Gale wrote. In the A
Vulgar Display Of Power book, several of Gale's personal
writings, given to the author by Gale's mother, show that
the motive of Pantera's breakup or the idea of stolen songs
is false, and that due to his condition, paranoid
schizophrenia, he believed that the band could read his
mind, were stealing his thoughts, and laughing at him.
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