According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, sources who knew Vinnie Paul Abbott said the former PANTERA drummer had suffered “a major heart attack” when he died in his sleep on Friday, June 22 at his home in Las Vegas. He was 54 years old.

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Vinnie Paul‘s body has been turned over to the medical examiner to determine an official cause of death, TMZ reported. After that, he will be flown back to his home state of Texas to be buried between his mother and brother.

“This is such a shock because he was so excited about finishing up the [new HELLYEAH] album and getting back on the road,” singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA, VELVET REVOLVER), a longtime friend of Vinnie Paul‘s, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’m still trying to piece this together.”