'Dimebag' Abbott: Hard rock hero

Dimebag's previous nickname was Diamond Darrell

Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott, the Damageplan guitarist who was killed on stage during a concert in Ohio, was loved by metal fans for his passionate guitar solos.

Abbott came from a musical family although the tastes he developed were very different to those of his parents.

Born on 20 August, 1966 in Dallas, Texas, Abbot and his brother Vinnie Paul were introduced to music by their father Paul, who wrote country music and had his own music studio.

But Abbot began to show an interest in rock music, influenced by the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Ace Frehley from Kiss and the late Randy Rhodes.

Abbott and Vinnie Paul formed rock band Pantera in 1983 with bass player Rex Rocker. Vocalist Phil Anselmo joined the group four years later.

Shocked community

Abbott was then known by the nickname Diamond Darrell but he later changed it to Dimebag, which was often shortened to Dime by friends and fans alike.

"This is insane and this is a travesty," Howard Jones of the band Killswitch Engage told MTV when asked about the fatal shootings at an Ohio nightclub, which also killed three other people.

Former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob Blasko Nicholson, said Abbott was a legend.

"I'm speechless. This is totally unreal. Hard rock has lost a legendary guitar player," he said.

Larger than life

The band signed to Atlantic Records in 1989 and Abbott came into his own with frenetic guitar solos on albums such as Cowboys from Hell and Vulgar Display of Power.

He left the band along with his brother in 2003 to set up Damageplan.

Pantera's band manager Kim Zide-Davis described Abbott as a "living cartoon character".

"Everything you saw from him was real. That was who he was. He lived and unfortunately died by his guitar. What you saw on stage was his enjoyment."