Former Murderdolls and Dope drummer Ben Graves has passed away. He was just 45 years old, having succumbed to an unspecified form of cancer he’d been battling for the past 11 months.

Graves’ fiancée Lydia Munster revealed the sad news in a Facebook post yesterday on Ben’s page:

“This is incredibly hard for me to write this, but I know it is necessary because Ben has so many friends and fans. “Most of you don’t know that Ben has been battling cancer for the last 11 months. It was his decision to keep his health very quiet. “Ben passed away today, May 9th 2018, from complications due to his cancer. His diagnosis was grim but he fought a long and hard battle to try and beat it and overcome the odds. Some battles can’t be won no matter how hard you try. “Please respect me, his family and close friends while we grieve. Even though we knew it was eventually coming, the complication was sudden and very unexpected. “It’s devastating to lose someone you love more than yourself. My heart is broken, my heart died with him. “We will be taking him home to Massachusetts. I will organize a memorial for Ben’s LA friends, details to follow. “Post some photos of Ben for us to see him as he was. “💔Lydia”

Graves played drums in Murderdolls between 2002 and 2004 before moving on to Dope from 2005 to 2006.

On behalf of everyone at MetalSucks, we wish Ben’s family, friends and bandmates all the best. Rest in Power.