It’s been a decade since the tragic and untimely death of one of music’s most beloved guitarists, Pantera legend “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. The six-string legend was gunned down at 38 years old while doing what he loved most: playing onstage.
While former Pantera frontman and dear friend Phil Anselmo penned a powerfully poignant statement in Rolling Stone reflecting on the void left behind by Abbott’s passing, Billboard tracked down Dimebag’s friends, family and fellow rock icons to discuss their fallen comrade, and more than a few revealed some heartfelt insights and personal highlights of Abbott’s impact on their lives.
“When people get interviewed about people who’ve passed away, a lot of times they stretch the truth: They try to make the person sound better than they really were. But he really was a sweetheart of a guy. There’s nothing bad I could say about Dimebag.”
–Ace Frehley, former KISS guitarist
“I had already heard about Dime before I met him. I had heard stories about this fucking kid who was so badass that he kept winning this contest [in Texas] they had every year for the best new guitar player. He won it so many times they fucking kicked him out and made him a judge.”
–Jerry Cantrell, Alice in Chains guitarist
“I would put Dimebag in the same territory as Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen — all the [legendary] guitarists that we think about when we think about rock and metal.”
–Rob Halford, Judas Priest frontman
“I saw Pantera in New York with [former Dream Theater drummer] Mike Portnoy. We were watching it, and we were blown away by this whole scene and how heavy the music was and how the riffs were so infectious. It inspired us to approach our [album Train of Thought] in a heavier way. There was so much energy in the room — it was ridiculous. We walked away thinking, ‘Wow. There’s something there that’s pretty special.’ “
–John Petrucci, guitarist for Dream Theater
“He was like Blutarsky in Animal House; you could just be having the most crap day, and then Dime would walk into the room and the party would begin! [Laughs.] He was like the Rat Pack all in one guy — he was Dean, Frank, Sammy, the whole Rat Pack in one human being!”
–Zakk Wylde, Black Label Society leader and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist
“I’ve always said that if he was still alive today, he and I would have buried the hatchet a long time ago, and Pantera absolutely would have continued on and we would have made new records.”
–Phil Anselmo, former Pantera frontman
“It’s so hard to believe it’s been 10 years. The first three years or so after that were a definite blur. People would say things like, “Oh, it gets better after a year,” but in many ways it never really does.”
–Rita Haney, Dimebag’s longtime companion
“He was a trip. There was never a dull moment talking to Darrell. There were sometimes two- or three-day gaps because you had to wait for him to sober up. He made no bones about it. Darrell would get some balls rolling and then he’d say, ‘Talk to Rita [Haney],’ because he’d be out on the road or partying. He was a special guy.”
–Dean Zelinsky, Founder and owner of Dean Zelinsky Private Label Guitars; founder and former owner of Dean Guitars
“Darrell still has a lot of marketability and I don’t really know that he’d be down with being marketed as much as he is. The Darrell that I know — he loved to play guitar, and he loved to drink and live life. To me, it seemed that it was never about the money. It was always about the metal. It’s just such a shame that we lost him. ”
–Dave Mustaine, Megadeth leader
“The first time I heard Cowboys From Hell, I was taken aback, especially by Dimebag’s style, because I hadn’t really heard anything with that approach from a groove standpoint in metal. and with his lead playing, it was really unique. In a sense, it was like Billy Gibbons and Eddie Van Halen were to be combined; that’s kind of the sound he was extracting when he’d play his leads. Who knows where Damageplan would have taken things. Who knows if there would have been a reunion with Pantera. Who knows where they would have taken things musically. I do believe that we lost one of metal’s greatest guitar players when he was shot, without a doubt.”
–Myles Kennedy, singer/guitarist for Alter Bridge; singer for Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
“He was just one of those people that everybody loved. It was such shame to lose him. Soon after [he died]–>–>, a fan was at one of our Alter Bridge shows, and he was passing out pictures of Dimebag. It’s an image that shows his face and the years of his life. I put that sticker on my favorite guitar ever, and it’s still there today. It was an emotional time when that happened, so I just put it right there on my No. 1 guitar. The picture’s kind of faded, but I’ll never remove it.”
–Mark Tremonti, guitarist for Alter Bridge
photo: Lorinda Sullivan
