Widely popular by his stage name The Pig or by his number #2, Paul Gray was an American musician who was the former bassist, backing vocalist, and songwriter of heavy metal band Slipknot. He is also one of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning band.

Gray was one of the three original members of Slipknot and the only one maintain his original role in the band until his demise in 2010. He passed away on 24th May 2010 due to accidental overdose.

How Rich Was Paul Gray At The Time Of His Death?

According to various sources, Paul’s net worth was estimated at around $5 million at the time of his death in 2010. He earned his fortune from his profession as a musician and bassist for the multi-million dollar heavy metal band Slipknot.

Popular as The Pig from Slipknot, Paul Gray was the former bassist of SlipknotImage Source: Billboard
Popular as The Pig from Slipknot, Paul Gray was the former bassist of Slipknot

Image Source: Billboard

Here is a list of earnings made from Slipknot’s album sales:

Year Album Title Earnings
1999 Slipknot $2,490,000
1999 Welcome to Our Neighborhood $1 million
2001 Iowa $1,485,000
2002 Disasterpieces $4,100,000
2004 Vol. 3 $1,678,000
2005 9.0: Live $500,000
2006 Voliminal: Inside the Nine $1 million
2008 All Hope Is Gone $1,423,000
2010 (sic)nesses $1 million
2012 Antennas to Hell $16,000
2014 .5: The Gray Chapter $177,500

Career Insight: Worked In ‘Slipknot’ From 1995 To 2010

Gray along with Joey Jordison and Shawn Crahan founded the heavy metal band in 1995 and became popular for their attention-grabbing image, aggressive style of music, and energetic yet chaotic live shows.

During the initial stage of their band, they settled with nine members: Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Chris Fehn, and Jim Root for more than a decade until Gray’s death.

READ MORE: Justin Hartley-Net Worth, Height, Age, Wife, Kids, House, Wiki, Movies

They rose to fame with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1999.

Paul recorded nine albums entitled Slipknot, Welcome to Our Neighborhood, Iowa, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, Disasterpieces, All Hope Is Gone, and (sic)nesses along with his other band members until 2010.

In 2006, the band won their first Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance for ‘Before I Forget’. Following his death in 2010, he was replaced by guitarist Donnie Steele during 2011-2014, however, he left during the recording sessions for .5: The Gray Chapter.

Unmasked photos of Slipknot members
Unmasked photos of Slipknot members

In 2013, Jordison was dismissed from the band and found Alessandro Venturella as their new bassist and Jay Weinberg on drums.

In 2014, the band released their fifth album titled .5: The Gray Chapter after a long hiatus. It was the first album from Slipknot without Paul and Jordison. Likewise, their sixth album We Are Not Your Kind was released on 9th August 2019.

Apart from Slipknot, Gray played for Unida during their 2003 tour, appeared on the album entitled Worse Than a Fairy Tale by Drop Dead, Gorgeous, and toured with Reggie and the Full Effect.

Band Members Net Worth
Sid Wilson $20 million
Corey Taylor $10 million
Joey Jordison $5 million
Jim Root $9 million
Shawn Crahan $10 million
Chris Fehn $8 million
Mick Thomson $20 million
Jay Weinberg
Craig Jones $10 million
Alessandro Venturella $5 million
Anders Colsefni

Paul’s Life History: Short-Bio & Married Life

Paul Dedrick Gray was born on 8th April 1972 in Los Angeles, California, the United States of America to Nancy Gray-Miller and Paul Anthony Gray. He held American nationality grew up in Des Moines.

The late musician enrolled and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The pig was married to his lover Brenna Gray. They tied the knot in January 2008 and shared a child named October Gray. The couple was married until his death on 24th May 2010.

Paul Gray's daughter October was born after his deathImage Source: Tumblr
Paul Gray’s daughter October was born after his death
Image Source: Tumblr

Did You Know? Paul’s daughter was born after his death.

How Did Gray Die?

The Slipknot bassist was found dead on 24th May 2010 in his hotel room at the TownePlace Suites Hotel in Johnston, Iowa. According to the initial autopsy determined that no foul play or trauma was involved and the cause of death was unclear.

The autopsy result released on 21st June 2010 stated that Gray had died of an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl. He also had signs of significant heart disease.

Following his death, the band held a formal press conference in Des Moines, Iowa on 25th May 2010 without their usual masks. All of the band members, as well as Paul’s wife Brenna and brother Tony, paid tribute to him.

Slipknot band members paid their tribute to Paul during their 2011 Summer tour
Slipknot band members paid their tribute to Paul during their 2011 Summer tour

On 28th May 2010, a private funeral was held he was buried at the Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa. His fans honored him with a two-minute silence during the band’s headline set at Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth.

Tags