"I'm speechless," friend and ROB ZOMBIE/OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson told MTV. "This is totally unreal. Dimebag is a fucking legend and this is total bullshit."
"This is insane and this is beyond travesty," KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman, and former DAMAGEPLAN tour partner, Howard Jones said. "This is beyond anything I've ever heard. This shouldn't happen in or outside of the rock and metal community. He will be missed and mourned as a person, as a musician, and as a friend."
ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian, whose band has toured with PANTERA and has featured Dimebag guest appearances on their albums, stated in a posting on ANTHRAX's web site, "I am devastated as I'm sure we all are. All I can convey at this moment are my condolences to Rita and Vinnie and the whole family. My heart is with you."
MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx offered the following: "Dime, I will never forget all the times you made us laugh. I'm so happy we got to spend the day together in London recently
We should all live our lives as full as you have. I will miss you, as will all of us... This is a sad day."
Rich Ward (FOZZY, STUCK MOJO): "Darrell was as nice as they come. During the times that I spent with him, I wondered why he played in such a heavy band. Not that he didn't have the ability to school all of us that dared to share a stage with him, but because he seemed like such a gentle and kind man. He had a great sense of humor and was someone that everyone in the room gravitated toward. He never carried himself like the big rock star that he really was, instead he came across humble and appreciative. I consider it a privilege to have known him, as he was one of the 'real' guys in the business and as Zakk [Wylde] would say, 'one of the boys'!"
Orange County, California-based sextet BLEED THE SKY (recently signed to Nuclear Blast Records): "It's a sad day in heavy metal, Dimebag Darrell formerly of PANTERA, was shot and killed while performing with DAMAGEPLAN in Ohio. We would more than likely not be a band if it wasn't for him, and can't possibly imagine the pain that his brother and his family must be in. RIP, brother, heavy music will never be the same without you."
