Paul Gray is one of the most technical American musicians. His name is inextricably associated with the Slipknot team. His path was bright, but short-lived. He died at the peak of his popularity. Gray passed away at the age of 38.
Childhood and youth of Paul Gray
He was born in 1972 in Los Angeles. Some time later, he settled in Des Moines (Iowa). The moment of change of residence coincided with Paul's passion. During this period of time, the teenager did not let go of his favorite musical instrument - the bass guitar. In one of the interviews, he said:
“One day I went into a music store and was just looking at the window. Out of the corner of my ear, I overheard the two discussing that the band needed a musician who could play the bass guitar. I volunteered to help, but then, I still played weakly ... ".
Paul played cool and dreamed of performing on stage. He gained his first team experience in the bands Anal Blast, Vexx, Body Pit, Inveigh Catharsi and HAIL!. Yes, they did not make Gray popular, but they gave him the experience of interacting with other musicians.
The creative path of Paul Gray
Gray's position changed radically after he met Anders Colzefini and Sean Crahan. In the mid-90s of the last century, these three founded one of the most popular bands on the planet. The guys "made" incredibly cool nu-metal tracks. The brainchild of artists was named Slipknot.
The musicians had a few rules. First, they played what they wanted and how they wanted. Secondly, the group had to have several drummers.
The artists relied not only on the originality of musical works, but also on the stage image. They went on stage only in frightening masks.
A non-standard approach in everything was the creed of the artists. Even the band's rehearsals were very strange. The musicians rehearsed in secret. At concerts, they wore work overalls, which became their uniform. All members of the newly formed group had their own serial number. For example, Paul was listed under the number "2".
During performances, Gray wore a beaver or pig mask. With the release of each subsequent longplay - Paul changed the mask. The mysteriousness of the artists definitely fueled the interest of the public.
It seemed that the stranger the behavior of the members of the Slipknot group, the more interesting they were to their fans and just spectators "from the outside", who were far from the manifestations of heavy music.
The collections of the band over and over again reached the so-called platinum status. The band's tracks have been repeatedly nominated for Grammy awards as "Best Heavy Metal Songs" and "Best Hard Rock Songs".
Addiction Paul Gray
Popularity inspired Paul. At the same time, he gained financial stability. Increasingly, he came to rehearsals under the influence of drugs.
In 2003, he provoked an accident. When the police arrived at the scene, they found the musician in a strong drug intoxication. His car collided with another vehicle. After the accident, Paul approached the driver of the car. He tried to write him a check and say something, but his speech was slurred. The driver, who realized that something was wrong with him, asked his daughter to call the police.
Luckily there were no casualties. Paul landed in jail, but a week later he was released. He paid a $4300 fine. In November, the court confirmed that the musician was under the influence of drugs. He was given 1 year probation.
He did not deny that he was not leading the healthiest lifestyle. Moreover, the bass player admitted that he composed most of the hits under drugs.
After the court verdict, Gray was treated by a doctor named Daniel Baldi. He confirmed that Paul does not use drugs on a regular basis.
Paul Gray: details of his personal life
He was married to a porn actress named Brenna Paul. The artist got a tattoo on his fingers with the name of his wife. Brenna tried to help her lover get rid of addiction, but her strength alone was not enough. In an interview, the woman said: “I called his bandmates, but they did not help. They said it's my problem."
Death of Paul Gray
He passed away on May 24, 2010. He died at the Johnston Hotel, Iowa. The musician's body was discovered by a hotel worker. An autopsy showed that Paul died from an overdose of opiates - morphine and fentanyl. These drugs caused him to go into cardiac arrest.
