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Joey Jordison, former drummer and co-founder of Slipknot, has died at the age of 46, according to Rolling Stone.
A representative for Joey's family released the following statement, adding that he passed peacefully in his sleep but did not specify a cause of death.
Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow. To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart, and his love for all things family and music. The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans, and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time.
Jordison formed Slipknot in 1995 in his native Iowa along with fellow percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray. Jordison has writing credits on many of the band's biggest hits, including "Wait and Bleed," "Duality" and "Psycosocial." Slipknot and Jordison parted ways in 2013, although Jordison later claims he was fired from the band he helped create.
Jordison later revealed in 2016 that he was suffering from a serious illness that left him unable to play drums leading up to his departure from the band. He said,
Toward the end of my career in Slipknot I got really, really sick with a horrible disease called transverse myelitis. I lost my legs. I couldn’t play any more. It was a form of multiple sclerosis, which I don’t wish on my worst enemy. I got myself back up, and I got myself in the gym, and I got myself back in therapy to beat this [expletives]. If I can do it, you can do it. To people with multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis or anything like that, I’m living proof that you can beat that [expletive].
After his departure from Slipknot and apparent recovery from illness, Jordison played with two new bands, Vimic and Sinsaenum.