Dimebag Dead: James Hetfield Expresses Lingering Sadness Years After Pantera Guitarist's Death

Metallica member James Hetfield looked back at his memories with Pantera's late guitarist, Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott.

Pantera immediately rose to fame when Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded Pantera in 1981. The band, however, broke up in December 2004, leading the brothers to form Damageplan.

Its current lineup includes Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown, Zakk Wylde, and Charlie Benante, but some musicians still feel the lingering loss years after Dimebag's death.

James Hetfield Says He, Dimebag Inspired Each Other

Speaking with SiriusXM host Jose Mangin on SiriusXM's "Metal Ambassador" podcast, Hetfield shared all the musical influences that helped Metallica create its current latest album, "72 Seasons."

Elsewhere in the interview, Mangin asked Hetfield about Dimebag who was a "gigantic fan" of Metallica that the late guitarist covered all the band's songs. He revealed that he would travel to the Dallas area and meet with him and the other guys to hang out with them.

"Dimebag introduced me to the solid state amp, I remember. He had this fr**king amazing crunch going on. I was, like, 'What is that?' Do you know? So, uh, yeah. [We] inspired each other. He inspired me as well. No doubt," he went on.

How Did Pantera's Dimebag Die?

Dimebag and Vinnie Paul played together in Damageplan after Pantera broke up. Starting 2003, the band performed in different cities and released several albums.

However, on Dec. 8, 2004, Dimebag was shot and killed on stage while performing with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. At that time, a young obsessed Pantera fan - who was believed to be a schizophrenic - murdered him since he believed the members were stealing his thoughts.

Reports added that the suspect was upset that Pantera disbanded and put the blame on Dimebag.

The then-25-year-old shooter named Nathan Gale stood near Dimebag and shot him thrice at the back of his head and once in his hand. He was shot by a Columbus police officer moments after he fired his gun at the musician, but he also left three others injured: Nathan Bray, Jeff Thompson, and Erin A. Halk.

After the fatal incident, people in Marysville shared that Gale was not prone to violence, especially since he served the Marines in 2002. He left the Corps months later due to unknown reasons.

Years after Dimebag's death, his brother Vinnie Paul was found dead inside his Las Vegas home after suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy.