Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman has died at 49, and fans around the world are shocked and "gutted". A statement on the band's Facebook page informed fans that Hanneman died of liver failure in California on Thursday.

Slayer guitarist Hanneman had been suffering from a rare disease since 2011 commonly known as "flesh eating disease". Hanneman has been suffering from necrotising fasciitis, which  is a flesh eating bacterial syndrome that he is believed to have contracted from a spider bite. It was not immediately clear whether it played a role in his passing.

On its website, Slayer paid tribute to "Our Brother Jeff Hanneman, May He Rest In Peace (1964 - 2013)."

"Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11am this morning near his Southern California home," the statement released said. Hanneman was being treated in a local California hospital when he "suffered liver failure," it added.

Since forming in 1981, Slayer has released nine studio albums and toured worldwide numerous times, performing in thousands of shows. Guitarist Hanneman and bandmate Kerry King founded the band. They went on to become one of the "big four" thrash metal groups of the 1980s, along with Anthrax, Megadeth and Metallica.

Guns'n'Roses guitarist Slash said on Twitter, "Tragic and shocking news about Jeff Hanneman. He is going to missed by so many. What a sad day for Metal. RIP man".

Numerous other musicians and luminaries released statements and commented on Twitter mourning the guitarist. 

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said in a statement, "The music industry has lost a true trailblazer, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, his bandmates and fans around the world who mourn his untimely passing."

Hanneman is survived by his wife, his sister and two brothers. Slayer are due to play a series of gigs in the coming months, including summer festivals in Spain and England. No word yet on whether the band will still play those dates without Hanneman.