Slayer Guitarist Died From Alcohol-Related Issues; Jeff Hanneman's Death Was Originally Thought To Be From Spider Bite

Slayer guitarist and heavy metal icon Jeff Hanneman died of alcohol-related liver disease, not from a spider bite, the band announced on their website. It was initially reported that Hanneman's recent death, at 49, was the result of a rare and deadly skin disease that he contracted from a spider bite two years ago. However, it turns out the Slayer rocker's death was due to a liver condition related to binge drinking. Hanneman is probably best known for the songs he wrote on 1986's Reign of Blood, including "Raining Blood" and "Angel of Death."

"We've just learned that the official cause of Jeff's death was alcohol-related cirrhosis," says the statement from Slayer, "While he had his health struggles over the years, including the recent necrotizing fasciitis infection that devastated his well-being, Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life." 

Hanneman, Slayer's founding member, had admitted to abusing "uppers and downers" during the band's heyday in the '80s, but after spiraling into cocaine addiction, he quit hard drugs entirely. "I just drink alcohol now," he said in 2004.

Hanneman admitted to excessive drug use during the band's peak heyday, but ultimately kicked cocaine after it became a habit. "I used to take a lot of pills-uppers, speed-before I joined the band," he told Blabbermouth.net in 2004, "and then when we were making the first few albums I used to do coke. But one day we just quit. [Singer] Tom [Araya] and I were driving to my girlfriend's parents' house, and I was sticking coke up his nose while he was driving, and I suddenly thought, 'What the hell am I doing?' We both looked at each other and we said, 'No more!'"

The legendary guitarist was such a fan of Heineken, he had a guitar designed after the beer's logo. Hanneman had been off the road since 2011, following his near-fatal bout with necrotizing fasciitis from a spider bite. But it reportedly had appeared that his health was improving, and he was looking forward to working on a new record. 

"Jeff was a lifeline of Slayer," said Araya, "He wrote so many of the songs that the band will always be known for. He had a good heart, he was a good guy."