Slipknot Bassist Paul Gray Found Dead

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) - Paul Dedrick Gray, 38, bassist for the Iowa-based heavy metal band Slipknot, was found Monday morning by an employee at TownePlace Suites in suburban Des Moines.

There was no evidence of foul play, police said, but an investigation is ongoing. Gray was a co-founder of the Grammy-winning band. Born in Los Angeles, he was one of two Slipknot members not born in Iowa.
Unofficial reports say Gray and his wife, Brenna, were expecting a child.

Slipknot has, to date, released four albums, all of which have sold very well. Their last release, 2008's All Hope Is Gone, debuted at No 1 on the Billboard charts. Slipknot has been nominated for seven Grammy awards, winning once for Best Metal Performance in 2006 for the song 'Before I Forget.'

As of right now, there has been no official word from the band regarding Gray's death but one can expect that there will be one soon.
While many, hope that drugs weren't a factor in Gray's death, it merits mention that he was arrested on drug possession charges in 2003 when police found marijuana, coke, and syringes in his car following an accident.

While the charges were eventually dropped, Gray admitted to being under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.