Dimebag Darrell (born Darrell Lance Abbott on August 20, 1966, Arlington, Texas – December 8, 2004, Columbus, Ohio), also known as Diamond Darrell until mid 1992, was an American lead guitarist.Best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, he was also active in country music, notably the project Rebel Meets Rebel. Remembered for his amiable nature and rapport with fans, critic Greg Prato describes Abbott as "one of the most influential stylists in modern metal."Born to Jerry Abbott, a noted country musician and producer, Darrell took up guitar in his youth, winning a series of local guitar competitions where he was awarded his first Dean (later known as the ML styled guitar.) Coincidentally, his father, had bought him a cherryburst finish Dean (ML) standard the morning before the competition, so he only had a few hours of playing time on it. These and another contest prize, his first Randall Amplifier, are the two staples of his style and sound. By the age of 16 he had already won all the guitar contests in the area of Texas and was barred from entering any further competitions (as he had already won them all), but was asked to return as a judge.As a child, Abott became a member of the KISS Army, enlisting with his neighbor and later girlfriend Rita Haney; the first rock concert they attended was a KISS performance.Abbott has stated that his main influences were Ace Frehley of KISS and Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen. He said he would try and mimic what he'd seen from them, which later developed into his own unique signature playing stylePantera was formed in 1981 with Dimebag's brother Vinnie Paul on drums. They began in the glam metal style, but afterwards branched out into a more aggressive, hard-edged sound that achieved commercial success and critical acclaim.The band officially split in 2003 due to conflicts between members, notably singer Phil Anselmo who, in the throes of a heroin addiction, started lashing out at other members. Anselmo left the band for other projects, such as Superjoint Ritual and Down. After a year, brothers Vinnie and Dimebag eventually went on to form Damageplan, and Rebel Meets Rebel with country legend David Allen Coe.Three of Dimebag's solos from Pantera songs ranked among Guitar World magazine's top 100 of all-time: "Walk", "Cemetery Gates" , and "Floods"On December 8, 2004, while performing with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Abbott was shot and killed onstage by former U.S. Marine Nathan Gale. Abbott was shot 3 times in the head, the third time at point blank range, killing him instantly. He was 38 years old.Three others were killed in the shooting: concert-goer Nathan Bray, age 23 of Columbus; Alrosa Villa roadie Erin Halk, age 29 of northwest Columbus; and Damageplan security chief Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson, age 40 of Texas. Damageplan's drum technician, John "Kat" Brooks, and tour manager, Chris Paluska, were injured in the rampage.According to police, Gale fired a total of fifteen shots, taking the time to reload once, remaining silent throughout the shooting. When security staff tried to stop him, Gale fired at them, wounding Paluska, and killing Halk, who had attempted to stop the gunman with a beer bottle as a weapon. Damageplan head of security Jeffery 'Mayhem' Thompson fought with Gale for a short time, stopping him from killing Vinnie Paul Abbott and John Graham, as well as knocking off Gale's glasses (preventing him from seeing Officer Niggemeyer just minutes later), before being fatally wounded by Gale. Audience member Nathan Bray, who jumped onstage to try to give CPR to Dimebag and Thompson, stood up and took a single step towards Gale before being shot once in the chest. Brooks was scuffling with Gale on stage but was overpowered and taken hostage in a headlock position. Brooks was shot several times (once in the right hand, his right leg, and his right side) while attempting to get the gun away from Gale.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 Remington 870 shotgun. Gale was found to have 35 rounds of ammunition remaining. Officer Niggemeyer's shot was as accurate as he could have hoped for, hitting Gale with 8 out of 9 pellets from the shotgun shell.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. Darrell Abbott was buried in a KISS Kasket 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.
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