A son of country music producer Jerry Abbott , Abbott began playing guitar at age 12 , and Pantera released its debut album , '' Metal Magic '' ( 1983 ) , when he was 16 . Originally a glam metal musician , Abbott went by the stage name '' ' Diamond Darrell ' '' at the time . Two further albums in the glam metal style followed in 1984 and 1985 , before original vocalist Terry Glaze was replaced by Phil Anselmo in 1986 and '' Power Metal '' ( 1988 ) was released . The band 's major-label debut , '' Cowboys from Hell '' ( 1990 ) , introduced a groove metal sound to which Abbott 's guitar playing was central . This sound was refined on '' Vulgar Display of Power '' ( 1992 ) , and the group 's third major-label record , '' Far Beyond Driven '' , debuted at No. 1 on the '' Billboard 200 '' in 1994 . Tensions within Pantera reduced its output after the release of '' The Great Southern Trendkill '' in 1996 , and '' Reinventing the Steel '' ( 2000 ) was the band 's final studio album before its acrimonious separation in 2003 . Abbott subsequently formed Damageplan with his brother Vinnie Paul and released '' New Found Power '' , the band 's debut and only album , in 2004 . Other works by Abbott included a collaboration with David Allan Coe titled '' Rebel Meets Rebel '' ( 2006 ) and numerous guest guitar solos for bands such as Anthrax . Abbott was shot and killed by a deranged fan on December 8 , 2004 , while on stage with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus , Ohio . Three others were murdered in the shooting before the perpetrator was killed by police . Abbott was ranked at No. 92 on '' Rolling Stone '' s list of " The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time " in 2011 , and No. 19 on '' Louder '' s list of " The 50 Greatest Guitarists of All Time " in 2018 . He placed at No. 5 on Gibson 's list of " The Top 10 Metal Guitarists of All Time " in 2015 , and the same year was ranked as the most influential metal guitarist of the past 25 years by VH1
shot and killed
Columbus nightclub shooting
Dimebag Darrell