Hellyeah call out Vinnie Paul replacement rumour

Hellyeah have called out an online rumour suggesting that former Norma Jean and Every Time I Die drummer Daniel Davison had joined the lineup – just a month after the death of Vinnie Paul.

The post suggesting the move was uploaded to Wikipedia, with the band grabbing a screenshot, circling Davison's name, and exclaiming: “WTF?” They added on Facebook: “Absolute fake news.”

The original post has now been changed.

Vinnie died on June 22 at the age of 54, with his Hellyeah bandmates posting a tribute video in the days following the news.

Frontman Chad Gray also posted a personal tribute to his friend, saying: “This has been one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to face in my life. I’m so confused, sad and as helpless as I’ve ever been. I’m at a loss and completely devastated. But I’m trying. 

“It’s the equivalent of an emotional riot in my head and in my heart as I write this. But I’m trying to focus on anything good. I know Vinnie would want that. And the good things are my memories of him. His smile, his infectious laugh and his personality that beamed light.

“Him and his brother Dimebag lived to make people smile. That’s what I’m gonna miss the most.”

Last week, Dimebag’s ex girlfriend Rita Haney paid an emotional tribute to Vinnie which followed a public memorial to the late drummer in Dallas.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.