Slayer Guitarist, Who Grew Up in Long Beach, Dies

Jeff Hanneman, the guitarist for heavy metal band Slayer who grew up in Long Beach, has died of liver failure, crushing fans and bandmates. They announced the death on the thrasher band's website and on  Slayer's Facebook page, following the headline "Our Brother Jeff Hanneman, May He Rest in Peace (1964-2013):

"Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11 a.m. AM (Thursday) morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed."

By midday Friday, Slayer's Facebook page announcement of Hanneman's death at age 49 had 44,000 likes and nearly 3,000 comments.

According to NPR's music blog:

"Born in Oakland and raised in Long Beach, California, Hanneman developed an early interest in warfare and the military: his father was a Normandy veteran, and his brothers served in Vietnam. This interest would inform much of Slayer’s aesthetic, with their metal eagle logo leading some to wonder if the band were Nazi sympathizers. As with a lot of things heavy metal, it was just a visual thing."

In 1981, he and fellow guitarist Kerry King formed Slayer. It was King that told TorontoNow.com of Hanneman's worsening health:

"In 2011, Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis (more commonly, flesh-eating disease) after being bitten by a spider. He stopped touring with the band, and in February of this year King revealed that Hanneman was suffering from continuing health problems."

Among the thousands of Facebook comments (plus tweets to #SLAAAAAAAYER on Twitter):

One of nearly 3,000 comments on the facebook:

"You and your musical influance have molded most of my life. Thank you my brother. REST IN YOUR PEACE. Love your life."

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