Joey Jordison was an integral part of the metal band Slipknot. His contributions as a drummer were a major reason why the band was able to have the sound that it created. In addition to being the original drummer, he is also the co-founder of the band; he’s been there for the group since the very beginning.
Although a cause of death was not published, his family released a statement that said that Jordison died “peacefully in his sleep”. He was 46-years-old.
“We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26, 2021. He was 46,” the statement reads. “Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow. To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music. The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time. The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes.”
Slipknot is known for its version of heavy metal and also the masks that each band member wore. The band was assembled in Des Moines, Iowa in the 1990s. Jordison will be remembered for his extraordinary drumming that was a major part of the group’s instrumentation. He also cowrote many of the band’s songs. He was a member of Slipknot from 1995 to 2013. It is unclear why he departed from the group. He has been vocal about it in the past that he did not leave voluntarily. Perhaps it was do to creative differences or his desire to take the music in a different direction, the fans will probably never get a straight answer about the departure, but even after he left the group he had a strong following on social media that allowed the fans to connect with him and experience new musical projects that he had been working on.
After leaving Slipknot, he played guitar in the Murderdolls and drums in Scar the Martyr and Sinsaenum.
Jordison will be remembered as someone who was committed to creating music despite the challenges he had in his life. He made it public several years ago that he suffered from a neurological disorder that made it difficult for him to play the drums. However, with him the music went on, as he played drums for two other bands after leaving Slipknot. He continued to play the drums even though the neurological condition made it painful and uncomfortable to do so.
He will be remembered as a great musician and someone that was committed to his craft, even responsible for the creation of new sounds within the heavy metal genre. While the fans would like to know the cause of death in order to receive closure, it is uncertain at this point if the family will release it. No matter what the cause was, Jordison definitely gave everything he had to music and will remain an important figure within the genres of music that he played.
