Former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison has died, the Music Universe reports. He was 46. In a statement, a representative for his family says:

We are heartbroken to share the news that Joey Jordison, prolific drummer, musician and artist passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 26th, 2021. He was 46. Joey’s death has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow. To those that knew Joey, understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, giant heart and his love for all things family and music. The family of Joey have asked that friends, fans and media understandably respect our need for privacy and peace at this incredibly difficult time. The family will hold a private funeral service and asks the media and public to respect their wishes.

Jordison came up in the heavy metal scene in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1995, he joined the Pale Ones, the group that became Slipknot, with percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray. (It was Jordison’s idea to change the name of the band to Slipknot after one of their earliest recorded songs.) After a number of lineup changes in the early years, Slipknot eventually solidified as Crahan, Gray, and Jordison plus Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Chris Fehn, and Jim Root.

In 2013, Slipknot announced that that they were parting ways with Jordison due to “personal reasons.” Jordison said that he did not quit the band and was blindsided by the dismissal. In 2016, Jordison revealed that he suffered from transverse myelitis, a neurological disease that affected his performance as a drummer. In addition to Slipknot, Jordison formed the band Murder Dolls with Wednesday 13 and played in Scar The Martyr, Vimic, and Sinsaenum.