Joey Jordison, a drummer and founding member of the hard rock band Slipknot died July 26, 2021. He was 46. A rep representative for the family shared that Jordison died peacefully in his sleep. No other cause of death was given.
During his time with Slipknot, the ’90s-era heavy metal band earned three Top 10 hits on the Billboard 200, including one No. 1 “All Hope Is Gone” and a No. 2 hit with “Snuff.”
“We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021. Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow,” wrote his family in a statement sent to Parade.com. “To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music.”
Additionally, the family requested the need for privacy and peace during such a difficult time. “The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes,” they added.
In 1995, Jordison, bassist Paul Gray and percussionist Shawn Crahan created Slipknot in, of all places, Iowa. They stayed together until 2013. That same year, Jordison also formed Scar the Martyr.
Some years after Jordison left Slipknot, he said that he departed the band because he contracted a neurological disease called transverse myelitis. “I got really, really sick…I lost my legs,” he shared at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2016 . “I couldn’t play anymore. It was a form of multiple sclerosis, which I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I got myself back up, and I got myself in the gym and I got myself back in f#*king therapy to f#*king beat this s#*t.”
Born Nathan Jonas Jordison in Des Moines in 1975, Jordison was raised in the nearby town of Waukee. He realized his passion for music while in elementary school and was in a band all the way through high school, playing in jazz competitions throughout Iowa. “I started around age 5 after my birthday. My grandfather had guitars around his house all the time, and I got a guitar for my fifth birthday,” he told Ultimate-Guitar.com in 2016. By the time he was 8, his parents got him a drum kit.