Brent Hinds, former guitarist and vocalist with the Grammy-winning heavy metal band Mastodon, died in a motorcycle crash in Atlanta late Wednesday, police said, leaving bandmates in a state of “unfathomable sadness and grief.”
He was 51.
Hinds, a co-founder of the critically acclaimed and influential Atlanta-based band, was on top of his Harley Davidson heading west on Boulevard SE at 11:35 p.m. when he collided with a BMW SUV at the intersection of Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta police said in statement.
The woman driving the BMW “failed to yield while turning left ” but remained at the scene, police said.
“We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief … last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident,” Mastodon said in statement Friday.
“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. Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends, and fans.”
Hinds, who had left the band in March, was a part of six Grammy nominations. Mastodon won for best metal performance in 2018 with “Sultan’s Curse.”
“This has knocked the wind out of me. RIP to the great Brent Hinds,” Alice in Chains vocalist and rhythm guitarist William DuVall said in a statement.
Mastodon is scheduled to play Friday night at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, more than 4,200 miles northwest of the accident scene. The show was still expected to go on, a fair representative said late Thursday morning.
Hinds’ departure from Mastodon might not have been an amicable one.
He posted video this month of his former group performing “Crack the Skye” in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2012. He took aim at former bandmates Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor, saying they sounded “absolutely horrible” and “way out of key.”
Other members of the group “kicked me out of the band for embarrassing them for being who I am,” he added.
Janhvi Bhojwani contributed.