11 Years Gone: Remembering Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell With 10 Of His Greatest Guitar Solos

August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004

Stories abound about how we all discovered Dimebag Darrell Abbott; for some, it was through generous older siblings or parents who shared Pantera albums; for others, Pantera concerts and for an even luckier few, a chance encounter with Dime that usually ended in a few Blacktooth Grins to round out the night. While our stories vary, a common thread is shared; Dime’s death on December 8, 2004 shook us and rocked the metal community in a way it hadn’t been since the death of Randy Rhoads, and robbed us of a musician whose larger than life talent was surpassed only by his mega-watt smile and a heart twice the size of his native Texas.

Dimebag was a huge fan of Eddie Van Halen. So big, in fact, that he was buried with Eddie’s most prized possession: his yellow and black striped Charvel “Bumblebee” guitar!

His is a loss that cannot be overstated, and 11 years later we remember not the way he left us, but the way he lived out his 38 years with us; just as fast, furious, and brilliant as the music he left us with!

We love you, Dime…until we meet again.

photo credit: pinterest.com