“Dimebag” Darrell Lance Abbott was the heavy metal guitarist who shredded the competition—until a crazed fan climbed on stage, and one of metal’s worst tragedies occurred.
1. His Light Was Snuffed Out Too Soon
“Dimebag” Darrell Lance Abbott was the guitarist for the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. A from his early teens, Abbott shredded his competition and strummed his way to the top of the charts. He could have attained even greater heights had it not been for fiery feuds within his bands—and one crazed fan.
2. He Was A Texas Original
Darrell Lance Abbott had rock ‘n’ roll rhythm from the beginning. Born in August of 1966, in Grand Prairie, Texas, he was the second son of Carolyn and Jerry Abbott, a country music producer. Even his older brother, Vinnie Paul, would later become his bandmate in the legendary metal group Pantera, as well as Damageplan.
His childhood was, for a rockstar, pretty rock-solid.
Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
3. His Family Was Rock-Solid
Although Abbott’s parents divorced in 1979, the Abbott family remained close-knit. Despite the split, the young musician frequently visited his father for guitar lessons, often riding his bike over to soak in his dad's musical expertise. This dedication to his craft was evident from a young age and would set the stage for his future as a guitar icon.
4. He Amplified His Talents
On his 12th birthday, Abbott received a gift that would change his life forever—a Les Paul-style Hondo guitar along with a Pignose amplifier. This simple yet impactful gift sparked his lifelong love affair with the guitar, marking the beginning of his journey to becoming one of metal's most revered guitarists. First, he just had to learn how to play the thing.
5. He Asked The Mirror On The Wall
Before Abbott could even play a note, he had feverish dreams of becoming a rockstar. He spent hours in front of a mirror, holding his new guitar, donning Ace Frehley-style makeup and imagining the cheering crowds and music-possessed mosh pits.
Had it not been for his brother, however, he might never have bothered to learn the guitar.
GabrielMetaleiro, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
6. His Brother Destroyed His Drumming Dreams
Interestingly, before picking up the guitar, Darrell Lance Abbott tried his hand at the drums. However, his older brother Vinnie Paul quickly outpaced him in drumming skills. Vinnie later confessed that he got so good that he wouldn’t even let Abbott near the drums anymore. But the competition between the brothers only brought them closer.
7. A Legendary First Jam
The Abbott brothers' first jam session was a marathon of rock history. They spent six hours playing Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”. Inspired by the Van Halen brothers, Alex and Eddie, the Abbott duo became inseparable, forging a musical bond that would drive their future success in Pantera.
It also showed Abbott where his real talents were.
8. A Teenage Prodigy
At just 14 years old, Abbott entered a guitar contest at the Agora Ballroom in Dallas, judged by none other than Dean Zelinsky, the founder of Dean Guitars. There was just one problem. Since he was too young to enter the club alone, his mother had to accompany him.
Little did anyone know that Abbott was about to blow the audience away with his ear-melting sounds.
9. Blowing Away The Competition
Abbott didn't just participate in the contest—he won it! In fact, he went on a guitar competition winning streak that upended the local music community. Eventually, the music community had to ask him not to compete anymore to give others a chance to win. Instead, they offered Abbott something even cooler: a role as a judge.
But not competing cost him something.
Rik Goldman, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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10. He Wanted A Firebird
Darrel Lance Abbott won several guitars in competitions before taking a judge’s seat himself. In 1982, for example, he won a highly-sought after maroon Dean ML guitar at a contest in Dallas. But, as fate would have it, his father had just gotten him a sunburst ML guitar as a surprise.
Seeing as though he was about to get driver’s license, Abbott had a bright idea.
11. He Tried To Sell His Ax
In addition to dreams of performing on stage, Abbott had set his sights on a Pontiac Firebird as his first vehicle. Needless to say, the teenage musician didn’t have lots of cash—but he did have lots of guitars. Abbott tried selling the maroon Dean ML to his friend, Buddy Blaze. Blaze, however, believed that the auspicious ax should stay with the person who won it.
It was almost certainly Abbott’s lucky guitar.
12. His Guitar Was A Boomerang
When Blaze refused to buy Abbott’s ax he instead sold it to one of Blaze’s bandmates. Blaze later negotiated with his bandmate and took possession of the guitar. He spent years customizing the guitar, turning it into a one a kind piece—all for a touching reason.
Five years later, Blaze returned the ax to Abbott—who didn’t even realize that it was his Dean ML. When Abbott finally recognized the guitar, he named it the “Dean from Hell”.
13. His Brother Stood Up For Him
In 1981, the band that would catapult Darrell Lance Abbott to heavy metal stardom was born. Abbott’s brother Vinnie Paul was invited to join a band with his high school buddies. But there was a snag. Vinnie insisted that his younger brother join too. Despite shredding the competition, Vinnie’s friends expressed doubts that Abbott was heavy enough to rock with them.
Henry Laurisch, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
14. He Proved The Doubters Wrong
At first, Pantera’s members weren’t sure about adding Abbott. As Terry Glaze recalled, the young guitarist “wasn’t very good” and looked like “a little skinny, scrawny dude”. Nevertheless, they relented when Vinnie wouldn’t join without his younger brother. It wouldn’t be long before his bandmates were begging him to stay.
15. He Turned Down Megadeth
Darrell Lance Abbott shredded so hard for Pantera that other bands wanted to get a piece of him. But, when Megadeth came knocking, Abbott remembered that he owed his brother a favor. He came up with a surprising ultimatum. He agreed to join Megadeth—only if his brother could join too.
Unfortunately, Megadeth already had a drummer, so Abbott walked away from the opportunity of a lifetime. But he made history with Pantera anyway.
Kreepin Deth , CC BY 3.0 ,Wikimedia Commons
16. He Became The Lead Guitarist
Initially, Abbott shared lead guitar duties with Terry Glaze in Pantera. But as Glaze recalled, within six months, Abbott “just morphed”. He went from novice to master, playing iconic guitar solos like Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” with ease.
He quickly became the band’s lead guitar and shaped a whole new sound.
17. He Embraced Glam Metal
Inspired by bands like Kiss, Van Halen, and Judas Priest, early Pantera adopted a glam metal style. While Darrel Lance Abbott always wanted to go heavier and focus on the music, he embraced the glam metal image, donning spandex, makeup, and hairspray on stage. He even adopted the stage name “Diamond Darrell,” inspired by the Kiss song “Black Diamond”.
He definitely didn’t need much more polishing to shine.
Fernando Catalina Landa, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
18. He Released His First Album
At just 16, Abbott contributed to Pantera’s debut album Metal Magic in 1983. A Texas music magazine, Buddy, noted his unique solo style, saying his “authoritative delivery” broke conventional rules, showcasing his growing prowess as a guitarist. But, even as the album proved successful, Abbott wanted to go heavier—a lot heavier.
19. He Pushed For A Heavier Sound
As Pantera evolved, the Abbott brothers yearned for a heavier sound, inspired by the likes of Metallica. But this didn’t sit well with Terry Glaze, who admitted he “didn’t want to go that heavy”. He might just have been afraid that Abbott would outshine however, as he later confessed that he disliked guitar-driven music.
Their creative differences created a rift they couldn’t riff off of any longer.
20. He Found The Perfect Vocalist
Abbott was ready to take things to the next level—but he faced a heartbreaking problem in the form of his bandmate, Glaze. Eventually, frustrated with the band’s new direction, Glaze left. Thankfully, after struggling to find a replacement for Glaze in 1986, Abbott and his remaining Pantera bandmates discovered Phil Anselmo. The band’s bassist, Rex Brown, noted that with Anselmo in the band, Abbot’s powerful riffs could finally shine “instead of having some […] singer over the top of them”.
Having Abbott front and center turned out to be a catalyst for the band.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
21. He Defined Groove Metal
In July 1990, Abbott and his new Pantera bandmates released Cowboys from Hell. The album marked a departure from the band’s glam rock roots and boldly introduced a new, signature sound: groove metal. Abbott’s guitar work was central to the album, which the band described as “power groove”, a kind of a slower tempo heavy metal.
But there was nothing slow about Abbott’s lifestyle.
22. He Was A Wild Road Warrior
Following the release of Cowboys from Hell, Pantera embarked on an intense tour, playing nearly 200 shows over two years. During this period, Darrell Lance Abbott gained a reputation for his wild on-stage persona and heavy drinking, becoming a larger-than-life figure in the metal world. But there was one rock star cliché that he avoided.
23. He Was A One Woman Man
Rock stars are usually just as famous for their romantic escapades as they are for their on-stage musical tirades. But Abbott was an exception to the rule. He met the only woman he ever loved when he was just eight years old. Abbott had grown up in the same neighborhood as his long-time partner Rita Haney and they began officially dating in 1984.
Their love was intense and personal.
Robert Knight Archive, Getty Images
24. He Wasn’t The Marrying Kind
Despite their commitment to each other, Abbott and Haney never actually got married. In a 2006 interview, Haney explained their decision: “We didn't believe in the marriage thing […] Why have someone you don't know tell you it's OK to be with someone you do know? We didn't need the middleman!”
It’s not like Abbott was short on groupies.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
25. He Made Metal Even Heavier
Pantera didn’t rest on their laurels after Cowboys from Hell. In just two months, they recorded their next album, Vulgar Display of Power, which they released in February of 1992. The album refined their groove metal sound and pushed the limits of heaviness, with Abbott’s riffs and solos leading the charge. The music world took note.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
26. He Ranked Among The Best
Vulgar Display of Power wasn't just a hit—it became a metal classic. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked it No 10 on their list of “The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time”. In their review, they went out of their way to highlight Abbott’s “serrated rhythms and squealing solos” as key elements in the album’s enduring appeal.
His newfound fame required a newfound name.
27. He Embraced A New Look For His New Sound
With the release of Vulgar Display of Power, Darrell Lance Abbott decided that it was time to ditch his glam rock look in favor of something that matched his new, heavier sound. His new aesthetic consisted of his trademark dyed goatee and a razor blade pendant (in homage to Judas Priest). The biggest change, however, was his stage name.
He left “Diamond Darrell” behind and adopted the moniker “Dimebag Darrell”.
Zach Petersen, Wikimedia Commons
28. He Earned His New Name
Abbot’s new stage name, “Dimebag Darrell” had a funny origin story. One would assume it came from a fondness for weed, but it actually came from an abundance of caution. Pantera’s singer, Phil Anselmo, came up with the name as a reference to Abbott’s rule of refusing more than a “dime bag” of cannabis at a time.
Even if someone offered more for free, he didn’t want to risk getting caught with too much contraband on hand.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
29. He Had The Perfect Setup Until…
Until 1994, Pantera recorded all their albums at Pantego Sound, a studio owned by Dimbag Darrell’s father, Jerry. Located near the Abbott family home, the studio was a convenient and familiar space for the band. However, after the release of Vulgar Display of Power, Jerry closed the studio to pursue his own dreams in Nashville.
The move left Pantera in the lurch.
30. He Had A Long Commute To Work
Pantera recorded their next album, Far Beyond Driven, at Abtrax, Abbott’s dad’s new studio in Nashville. But the situation strained the band. As Abbott recalled in a 1994 interview, the band was “[effing] flying [to Nashville] for three weeks at a time”. The grueling recording schedule pushed the band past their breaking point.
31. He Used Hard Substances
Recording so far away from home had some major downsides. Instead of sticking to their usual routines, the band spent most of their downtime in each other’s hotel rooms, binging on various substances. Somehow, the sound that they created on Far Beyond Driven was far better than anything they had done before.
32. He Went Even Heavier
Before Dimebag Darrell and his bandmates released Far Beyond Driven, many expected Pantera to follow the industry trend by adopting a more commercial sound. But Abbott and the band had other plans. They wanted to outdo themselves, delivering an album even heavier than Vulgar Display of Power.
As Abbott himself put it, “We're into topping ourselves”. And that’s just what they did.
Annamaria DiSanto, Getty Images
33. He Topped The Charts
Pantera made history when they released Far Beyond Driven in 1994. The band’s heaviest album yet, featuring ear-splitting solos from Dimebag Darrell, Far Beyond Driven debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200—incredible not just for an album, but wildly impressive for a metal album.
Critics hailed it as the heaviest album ever to top the charts, solidifying Pantera's place in metal history. But their success was also their undoing.
Annamaria DiSanto, Getty Images
34. He Was “Broken”
The lead single from Far Beyond Driven, “I'm Broken”, was a deeply personal song for one of Abbott’s bandmates. Anselmo's chronic back pain inspired the band to write the song, mirroring the singer’s real struggles—the consequences of which were devastating.
To numb the pain during the tour, however, Anselmo turned to heavy drinking, pills, and eventually smack. The band struggled with their lead singer’s descent.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
35. He Kept His Distance
Dimebag Darrell and his other bandmates pulled away from Anselmo as his addiction worsened. Anselmo began traveling in a separate tour bus, isolating himself until just before showtime. Anselmo admitted to drinking “an entire bottle of Wild Turkey every night before a show” and often interrupted performances with erratic rants.
Somehow, the band still stuck together—even if they were apart.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
36. He Recorded Separately
The recording sessions for Pantera’s next album, The Great Southern Trendkill, put the band’s growing tensions on full display. Dimebag Darrell and the other members of the band recorded their new songs at Abbott’s makeshift studio in his backyard. Anselmo, on the other hand, recorded his vocals separately in New Orleans at a different studio.
It would take a near tragedy to bring them back together.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
37. His Bandmate Nearly Overdosed
On July 13, 1996, after a performance in Dallas, the Grim Reaper nearly tore apart Abbott’s beloved band. With his addiction worsening, Anselmo overdosed and actually died. Miraculously, after “four to five minutes”, the lead singer came back to life.
After such a lucky break, one would think it would bring people together—for Abbott, however, the experience widened the rift between Anselmo and the rest of the band.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
38. He Faced Constant Conflict
With the growing tensions between the skilled musicians, it would be four years before Dimebag Darrell and his Pantera bandmates managed to record another album. Vinnie Paul likened the recording sessions to “pulling teeth,” as Anselmo increasingly lost interest in playing backup vocals to Abbott’s shredding on the guitar.
Then, a personal tragedy for Abbott compounded his recording woes.
39. He Suffered A Personal Loss
During the troubled recording of Reinventing the Steel, the Abbott brothers faced a devastating personal blow. Their mother, Carolyn, was diagnosed with lung cancer. She passed away just six weeks later in September of 1999. The loss hit Dimebag Darrell especially hard, adding to the emotional weight he carried as the band fractured before him.
40. He Defended The Guitar
Despite the troubles they faced, Dimebag Darrell and Pantera managed to finally release Reinventing the Steel in March of 2000. For Abbott, it was as clear a musical statement as he knew how to make. “We still play lead guitar,” he proudly stated, lamenting the decline of guitar solos in modern metal. What should have been a tour to remember, however, turned into a bitter breakup.
41. He Experienced The Aftermath Of 9/11
On the tragic day of September 11, 2001, Pantera was in Ireland, preparing to kick off a European tour. The devastating events of that day, however, led to the tour's cancellation, and the band members returned to Texas. During this time, Dimebag Darrell received more bad news.
The band’s bassist, Rex Brown, informed him that he would not be returning to Pantera. The breakup was worse than a divorce.
Jaime Garcia Perez, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
42. He Faced The End Of Pantera
Brown’s decision to leave Pantera left Dimebag Darrell devastated. He felt that everything he had built had been “ripped out from under [him]”. Worse yet, he couldn’t even keep the band’s identity. Knowing that other members of the band would have challenged them for the name “Pantera”, Abbott and Vinnie Paul decided to start fresh with a whole new band.
For a beautiful moment, it looked like an exciting new chapter lay ahead.
Mjfelker, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
43. He Created A Plan—A Damageplan
After Pantera's split, Dimebag Darrell and his brother Vinnie Paul formed a new band. They just had a little trouble finding their new identity. Originally, they named the band “New Found Power”. Eventually, however, they settled on the appropriate name “Damageplan”, using New Found Power as the title of their debut album.
However, some Pantera fans were not impressed.
Chicks With Guns Magazine, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
44. His Old Fans Were Not Happy
On April 8, 2004, a Pantera fan named Nathan Gale caused chaos at a Damageplan concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gale stormed the stage and caused $1,800 worth of damage before the authorities arrived to subdue him. Despite the disruption, the band chose not to press charges, wanting to avoid the hassle of returning to Cincinnati for court. Perhaps they should’ve—it could’ve saved Abbott’s life.
45. He Continued Playing
The Cincinnati incident didn't rattle Abbott’s cage at all. In fact, the whole band took it in stride. After security removed Gale from the venue, Damageplan's vocalist, Pat Lachman, joked to the crowd, “I'd like to introduce you to the fifth member of the [expletive] band”. They would not, sadly, be laughing for long.
46. His “Fan” Lay In Wait
On December 8, 2004, Damageplan headlined a show at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. Club manager, Rick Cautela, noticed a man loitering outside during the opening acts. When Cautela asked the man why he wasn’t inside, his reply was ominous. The man told him, “I'm gonna wait for Damageplan”.
Cautela had no idea that the mysterious man was Nathan Gale.
47. He Faced A Growing Threat
By the time Abbott took the stage with Damageplan that night, it was already 10:15pm. The crowd had swelled to nearly double its original size, creating the perfect cover for a terrible tragedy. Outside in the parking lot, Gale scaled a six-foot fence and entered the venue through an unmonitored door as Abbott and his band played their opening chords.
It would also be Abbott’s last.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
48. He Didn’t See It Coming
At 10:20pm, just minutes into Damageplan’s set, Gale, dressed in a hockey jersey and hooded sweatshirt, stormed the stage. At first, the head-banging fans thought that Gale was intending to jump off of the stage to crowdsurf. However, as the 6’ tall, 250 lb man marched towards Dimebag Darrell on the guitar, it became obvious that something else was happening.
Something terrible.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
49. He Took Four Rounds
As Gale ominously made his way across the stage, he drew out a 9mm Beretta 92FS. Without so much as a warning, he leveled the Baretta at Dimebag Darrell and fired four shots. The multiple rounds from the semi-automatic hit Dimebag in the cheek, ear, head, and hand. Gale’s attack was so swift and brutal that it caught everyone off guard.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
50. His Fans Didn’t Know He Was Gone
As the shots rang out, many in the crowd didn’t understand the horror unfolding on stage right before their eyes. Some believed that they were witnessing a staged event. Others thought that the bangs from Gale’s Baretta, muffled by the band’s own ear-splitting music, were some kind of sound effect.
Slowly, however, the terrible reality sank in.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
51. His Bandmates Realized The Reality
The band’s bassist, Joe Dameron, might have been the first one to realize what was actually happening. Only seconds before the first shot, Dameron believed he heard Gale shout something to Abbott about the breakup of Pantera but couldn’t make it out.
As the fans continued pumping their fists in the air, however, Dameron and the rest of the band stopped playing. Then the real horror broke loose.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
52. His Fans Tried To Avenge Him
Once everyone realized what happened, chaos broke out. Multiple people rushed the stage and attempted to wrest control of the Beretta from Gale to no avail. He fired more rounds, ending the lives of three more people before, finally, the authorities arrived and sent Gale to his own early gruesome grave.
As the reality of what had happened settled in, Abbott’s fans made a disturbing realization.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
53. He Was Gone Too Soon
In the midst of the fracas, one of Abbott’s fans, a nurse, rushed to the stage to render medical assistance. “I did chest compressions for 15 to 20 minutes,” the fan recalled. “I kept saying, ‘Dimebag, come on, come on, please, stay with me’”. Tragically, it was too late.
Once paramedics arrived on the scene, they pronounced the guitarist deceased. He was just 38 years old.
April Ashford-Forsythe, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
54. He Left Without An Explanation
Following the tragic events of that day, Abbott’s bandmates and most ardent fans were desperate for an explanation. Early on in the investigation, many speculated that Gale’s motivation had been the breakup of Pantera. Some claimed that he menacingly uttered, “You broke up Pantera” or, “This is for breaking up Pantera” before pulling the trigger.
But there was an even more sinister theory.
55. His Old Bandmate Set Him Up
Other heartbroken Dimebag Darrell fans pointed an accusatory finger at one of their favorite guitarist’s old bandmates: Anselmo. In a Metal Hammer interview that came out shortly before that December 8 show, Anselmo, fuming about the Pantera breakup, made some seriously twisted comments.
He said that Abbott “deserves to be beaten severely”. Despite the chilling nature of the comments, investigators didn’t believe that Gale had read the interview. That didn’t stop others from blaming Anselmo for Abbott’s grizzly demise.
DiegoVigueras, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
56. His Passing Caused A Rift
Following the tragedy of December 8, Vinnie Paul listened to an audio recording of Anselm’s Metal Hammer interview. The crestfallen brother of the dearly departed guitarist concluded that Anselmo had not been joking in the interview about what he wanted to have happen to Abbott.
The rift was so severe that the band canceled a planned reunion tour.
VH1, Behind The Music, Pantera (2006)
57. His Funeral Was A Real Banger
Abbott’s untimely and tragic end created an outpouring of grief and support in the music community. Thousands of fans turned up at his public memorial—and the guest list was nothing short of star-studded. Rock legends such as Eddie Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Corey Taylor, Jerry Cantrell and Dino Cazares all showed to pay their respects.
And they did so in grand style.
58. He Left With A Kiss…Kasket That Is
Dimebag Darrell was buried alongside his mother at a cemetery in Arlington, Texas. The important thing, however, was the manner in which his loved ones laid him to rest. Gene Simmons of KISS fame donated a KISS Kasket for the burial while Eddie Van Halen, one of Abbott’s childhood heroes, made a tribute so profound that it brought the attendees to tears.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Flickr
59. He Was Buried With His Ax
Just weeks before he met his end, Dimebag Darrell had met Eddie Van Halen and asked him for a replica of his iconic “Bumblebee” guitar. Moved by the request and the guitarist’s tragic ending, Van Halen did something extraordinary. At Abbott’s funeral, he offered up the original “Bumblebee” guitar to be buried with Dimebag Darrell.
“Dime was an original and only an original deserves the original,” Van Halen said.
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