Dimebag Killer's Mother Speaks
Published December 16, 2004
...The only beginnings of answers Clark said she can offer come from notebooks she found in her son's apartment this week.
In one, Gale wrote that two things got him to where he is. One was that he "could not see [his] own thoughts".
"And the other is, 'Growing up not knowing my own thoughts,' " Clark said. "This is what I think paranoid schizophrenia really is."
Nearly 5,000 fans and friends gathered to say farewell to Darrell at the Arlington Convention Center in his Texas home town on Tuesday:
- As well as the large number of fans, who waited in the freezing cold to get into the service, Dimebag's brother and bandmate Vinnie Paul Abbott, Damageplan's Pat Lachman, former Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Eddie Van Halen and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde were also in attendance.
Vinnie Paul Abbott took the stage, holding a life-size cut-out of his brother close to him.
"Darrell Abbott gave his heart to everyone," he said. "He went down doing something he loved; he loved playing guitar. The brightest star in Texas is shining tonight. That's my brother, Dimebag. Give it up."
Earlier in the day, a small procession of limousines left Dimebag's Dalworthington Gardens home for the funeral service, which his family had requested remain a private affair.
Cantrell, Van Halen and members of Slipknot attended the funeral.
Dimebag's former Pantera bandmate Phil Anselmo travelled to Dallas for Dimebag's funeral but the former Pantera frontman reveals that he didn't attend out of respect for the Abbott family.
"They do not want me there," he reveals in a videotaped statement released to the American media on December 14 . "I believe I belong there, but I understand completely. I wish his family the least grief they could ever have. I love him like a brother loves a brother. I'm so sorry to his family and everyone else who was senselessly killed in Columbus, Ohio.
"I never got a chance to say goodbye in the right way and it kills me, and I'm so sorry," Anselmo adds. "This has changed the entire world, and this is the last you'll be seeing of me for a long time." [Kerrang]
All the news on the tragedy here.
- Dimebag Killer's Mother Speaks
- Published: December 16, 2004
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- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News
- Writer: Eric Olsen
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Comments on this articleComments
thanks Matt, that's excellent to hear
Excellent report, Eric - the mother is speaking from the heart. Really, no one can predict an event like this. Better security might be the only thing that could have prevented this unfortunate incident.
Not that I think it would be right, but I am curious. From a legal standpoint is there any way that a court could find Gale's mother liable? I am sure it would have to be a bit of a leap, but I was just curious as she purchased the gun, and then came to find out about his mental health.
thanks Aaman, yes very powerful and sad stuff.
If she purchased the gun legally and gave it to him before he was diagnosed with anything, I can't imagine there could be any liability
It is possible that the family of DD could sue her in a civil case. I doubt there will be any criminal case against her for giving him the gun unless she knew he was mentally unstable before she gave it to him.
It is interesting to hear from her and we should all feel as much for her as we do for the family of the others who were killed, including DD.
I think Anselmo did a class thing. It never occurs to some people that they are not the most important person in every situation.
Anselmo respected the family's wishes even though it had to be hard not to go to a friend's funeral. He did the right thing.
As for the other portion of this story: it is so hard when tragedy strikes and there is no one truly deserving of blame. A sick kid did a terrible thing and it cannot be undone.
I believe the mother has Dime's blood on her hands. Her claim that she learned of his mental illness after the fact is rediculous. She knew he was bounced from the marines for mental illness. By her own words, he has shown delusional thinking for at least 8 years. THIS WOMAN PUT AN AUTOMATIC PISTOL INTO THE HANDS OF SOMEONE SHE KNEW TO BE MENTALLY ILL. Besides being illegal, it's straight up wrong. As a responsible gun owner, I fear this will mess things up even further for us. The DOJ application is denied if there is mental illness. He knew that, and she knew it too (the application clearly asks about mental illness, she signed it). She should be charged.
what stupid fucking nitwit gives anyone a gun for a gift,,,,,all cured? here ya go,,,,wait,,,,yall cured right? sure? k,,,here ya go then,,,promise not to kill anyone? ya sure? ok,,,go out and resist temptation my little bitty nutjob,,,love ya sweety,,byeeeeeee
Maybe somebody will give you one, if we are lucky.
I just love you dimebag loyalist. If you didn't know any better you'd think that you all knew the dude on a personal level. Who in the hell wants to die with the nickname "dime fucking bag". I'm just calling myself 5bag to be sarcastic. Dimebag$#@%?. Wonder if he liked to shoot up?
a dimebag is a bag of weed, nothing to do with shooting up.
why on earth did she give a paranoid schizophrenic a gun. the mind boggles.
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Thanks for this info Eric. I seem to be getting my news at blogcritics first these days.