Paul Gray: Slipknot bassist found dead in Iowa hotel room

New York, NY - For reasons not known as of this writing, Paul Gray, the bassist for Slipknot, was found dead in an Iowa hotel room. Paul Grey was 38 years old. There's no evidence of foul play, leaving open the possibility that he killed himself. The Des Moines Register reports:

Gray was a founding member of Slipknot and one of only two members not born in Iowa. The band broke into the mainstream with a platinum-selling self-titled debut in 1999. Two follow-ups, 2002's "Iowa" and 2005's "Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)" also went platinum. The band has been nominated for seven Grammy awards, winning in 2006 for best metal performance.

"It's just a devastating loss for the Des Moines music scene and the world's music scene," said Matt Nyberg, who was dubbed "First Maggot" by Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan. Nyberg's band Facecage is on Slipknot lead singer Corey Taylor's Great Big Mouth Records. "He was always one of the nicest guys. You never heard anything negative from him."

Paul Grey was arrested for drug charges in 2003, but is said not to have been a drug addict.

Stay tuned.