Cory Smoot, the guitarist who portrayed the character of Flattus Maximus in the theatrical art-comedy-metal band GWAR, was found dead Thursday morning.
According to a post in CityPages.com, Smoot died of unknown causes sometime between the end of Wednesday night's show at First Avenue in Minneapolis and when his bandmates attempted to wake him to cross the border into Canada Thursday morning.
Smoot has been a member of GWAR since 2002.
In a statement, GWAR's Dave Brockie wrote: "It is with a sense of profound loss and tragedy that the members of GWAR must announce the passing of their long time guitarist and beloved friend Cory Smoot, also known to thousands of metal fans worldwide as Flattus Maximus. Cory was found deceased this morning as the band prepared for a border crossing. There is no word as to the cause of death and the members of GWAR are completely shocked and devastated that this has occurred. At this point there is no word on arrangements and the disposition of the remainder of GWAR's current North American tour, nor are there any details regarding long term plans. At this point we are just dealing with the loss of our dear friend and brother, one of the most talented guitar players in metal today. We ask that our fans and the media be respectful of our request for privacy for those that have suffered this terrible loss. A full statement will be coming in the next day or so, in the meantime please give your thoughts and your prayers to Cory, his family, and all the people that love him."
-MSN-
