Former singer and guitarist Brent Hinds of the Grammy-winning rock band Mastodon was killed in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta late Wednesday night. He was 51.
Atlanta Police Department officers responding to the collision around 11:35 p.m. said they located “an unresponsive male” who appeared to have been riding a Harley Davidson. Medics pronounced him dead on the scene.
A preliminary investigation determined a woman driving a BMW SUV failed to yield before making a left turn and collided with the motorcycle. She remained at the scene of the crash, according to police.
Hinds’ former bandmates said they were “in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief” upon hearing the news.
“We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many,” Mastodon band members said in a statement asking for privacy.
Hinds formed Mastodon in Atlanta in 2000 along with bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor. He left the band in March under seemingly strained circumstances.
When a fan said on social media that they’d miss hearing Hinds play with his longtime collaborators, the guitarist indicated the feeling wasn’t mutual.
“I [won’t] miss being in a s— band with horrible humans,” he replied on social media, according to NJ.com.
In an interview with Guitar World, Kelliher likened the band’s split to a failed marriage but said he he wished “nothing but the best for Brent in his endeavors.”
Mastodon continued to perform with Canadian guitarist Nick Johnston taking over for Hinds.
Hinds planned to perform in Winchester, Tenn. on Aug. 30 before touring Europe with the band Fiend Without a Face in November.
Originally Published:
