DIMEBAG DARRELL WAS SHOT AND KILLED ON STAGE IN FRONT OF 300 FANS — HE WAS 38. THEY BURIED HIM WITH A GUITAR FROM HIS HERO, AND A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY FROM KISS.On December 8, 2004, Dimebag Darrell Abbott was playing with his new band Damageplan at a small club in Columbus, Ohio. A man rushed the stage and shot him five times. He died holding his guitar. He was 38 years old — killed on the same date as John Lennon, 24 years apart.Pantera had sold over 20 million records. Dimebag was called the greatest metal guitarist since Eddie Van Halen. But when Eddie heard about his death, he did something no one expected — he called Dimebag’s family and asked them to bury Darrell with one of his original guitars. A black-and-yellow striped Dean from Hell.They did. Along with a bottle of Black Tooth Grin — his signature drink — and a bottle of Crown Royal from Gene Simmons of KISS.His brother Vinnie Paul never recovered. He refused to speak about that night publicly and died 13 years later. Some say of a broken heart.A man who played guitar like he was laughing at gravity was buried with gifts from his heroes — so what was it about Dimebag Darrell that made even the legends treat him like one of their own?
Dimebag Darrell’s Final Night, and Why the Legends Mourned Him Like Family On December 8, 2004, Darrell Abbott, known to…