Watch Phil Anselmo’s Last Message to Vinnie Paul
Former Pantera singer Phil Anselmo paid tribute to his late colleague Vinnie Paul in a brief video message screened during a public memorial.
The event took place in Texas yesterday, the day after Paul was buried beside his mother, who died in 1999, and brother “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, who was shot dead onstage in 2004.
“Vince, always have love in my heart for you, man," Anselmo said in the video, which you can watch below. "Rest in peace.” The pair hadn’t spoken in decades as a result of the acrimonious collapse of Pantera in 2003, leading the Abbott brothers to form Damageplan. Paul, who went on to found Hellyeah after Dimebag’s murder, died on June 22 at age 54.
Fans posted pictures of Paul’s grave at the Moore Memorial Gardens cemetery in Arlington after the private ceremony had taken place, showing a layer of flowers covering the space between his mother’s and brother’s resting places, under a plot headstone reading simply “Abbott.”
Before the ceremony, Gene Simmons was seen signing the Kiss casket in which Paul was buried, similar to the one used for Dimebag. Both caskets were donated by Simmons and his Kiss bandmate Paul Stanley.
The new casket, which retails for $3,000, was made by Nashville Casket Sales. Company owner Joe Stacey told Fox 17, “For whatever reason, the original company lost the license to make a Kiss casket,” Stacey said. “Now, we’re the only ones with the license.”
It was reported that Paul was buried in his trademark hat, flannel shirt and boots. He was said to have recently completed recording drum tracks for the next Hellyeah album, though the future of the project is now unknown.