Slipknot returned home last weekend for Knotfest Iowa, and at the conclusion of their set, they would pay tribute to the two founding members no longer with us. After performing one of the band’s most iconic songs, “Surfacing,” which was co-written by the deceased Paul Gray and Joey Jordison, the video screens would show the pair’s band numbers, names, as well as years of birth and death.
For those unaware, the duo were instrumental in the band’s creation as Slipknot began life as The Pale Ones in September 1995, founded by Shawn Crahan (Clown) and Gray, with Jordison joining as the third member. Now a video of this tribute has been shared online by a fan in attendance which you can watch below.
Paul Gray was a bassist and backing vocalist of the band and affectionately known by fans as the Pig or #2. Apart from Slipknot, he also toured with Unida and Reggie and the Full Effect. Tragically, he died on May 24, 2010, aged just 38, in a hotel room in Iowa from an overdose of morphine and fentanyl. Gray’s doctor would end up sued by the family, who would receive an out-of-court settlement years later. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy would also permanently ban him from prescribing pain medicine.
Joey Jordison was also a founding member of Slipknot and known as Superball or #1. He played drums for the band between 1995 and 2013, performing on four studio albums. He would also work with Rob Zombie, Metallica, Korn, Ministry, and Marilyn Manson throughout his career. His departure came as a surprise and was a secret at the time. Later, it was explained to be because he was suffering transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord, which prevented him from playing. However, in recent years, he had resumed playing thanks to medication and gym workouts and had been performing with death metal supergroup Sinsaenum. Sadly he would pass away July 26, 2021, in his sleep aged 46, with the cause of death not reported.
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