"Vincent Paul Abbott aka Vinnie Paul has passed away," reads a statement on the Pantera Facebook page. "Paul is best known for his work as the drummer in the bands Pantera and Hellyeah. No further details are available at this time. The family requests you please respect their privacy during this time."

Along with his brother, Dimebag Darrell, Paul (born Vincent Paul Abbott) formed Pantera in 1981. The group found mainstream success with second lead singer Phil Anselmo. Throughout its career, Pantera earned four Grammy nominations and charted nine albums on the Billboard 200, including its 1994 album Far Beyond Driven, which debuted at No. 1 on the chart.

Following Pantera’s demise, the Abbott brothers formed Damageplan in 2003. The band was performing on Dec. 8, 2004, when Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage during a concert in Columbus, Ohio.

Since 2006, Paul was the drummer for Hellyeah, a heavy metal supergroup that also includes Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell...

Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul is going to be laid to rest in his forever hardware, identical to that of his late bandmate and brother,courtesy of none other than Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley....(T)he recently deceased musician and Pantera co-founder will be buried in a custom KISS casket provided by Simmons and Co...a gift at Vinnie's family's request. His brother, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was buried in the original prototype in 2004 after his untimely death...

(A) public memorial concert honoring Vinnie is going down Sunday at the Bomb Factory in Dallas at 3:33 CST. The time is said to be a tribute to Darrell -- known as "Dime Time." The event is free, wristbands will be given out at noon.