Late PANTERA Drummer VINNIE PAUL's Arlington, Texas House Has Reportedly Been Demolished

The house that was once owned by late PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott in Arlington, Texas has reportedly been demolished, just weeks after it was sold to an anonymous buyer.

In early April, Derek "D-Rock" Walker, the former promotional director for the Ride For Dime event, a motorcycle procession in honor of late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, took to his Facebook page to share new photos of Vinnie's former property, and he included the following message: "Absolutely gut wrenching and heartbreaking. This is what remains of the monument that was Vinnie Paul's home in Arlington, Texas.

"This was not only a heavy metal landmark, but a staple in PANTERA's rock and roll legacy," he continued. "Sold off to private investors to be leveled for a new build. If you were fortunate enough to be invited over, cherish the memories forever...

"Ironically enough the last photo of Vinnie Paul's Play House, the 'Brick Wall' stands alone."

While most of the commenters below Walker's post expressed their incredulity that the new owners of Vinnie's former home would take such a drastic step as to tear down the house, Leah Winfield, the wife of longtime PANTERA engineer, bass tech and friend Sterling Winfield, assured everyone that Vinnie's "estate has been handled according to his wishes. Heartbreaking at times, but his stated terms. Maybe this can help folks be a little kinder to those fulfilling his final wishes."

Leah went on to say that "there's so much to it that doesn't need to be public. And it was never going to be the place it was. We can't go backwards." Explaining that her husband is "a beneficiary," she wrote: "None of this is about money, contrary to a lot of opinions. And absolutely none of it has been easy."

In response to Winfield, Walker wrote: "I know that, I've always had nothing but love and respect for y'all. I'm sure none of the process was easy to navigate through. This hurts a lot of us, on a lot of levels, in different ways. Solidifies the end of an Era that some of us still refuse to acknowledge. I meant no disrespect and my post was meant to be a heartfelt send-off in my own way. Long live Vinnie Paul the Brick Wall, and may the legacy of the Abbott Brothers remain Stronger than All."

Vinnie Paul originally designed the 3,784-square-foot home, which sat on 1.5 acres and offers expansive views of Arlington, downtown Fort Worth and Las Colinas.

The previous owner of the home, Chris Johnston, co-owner of Texas Best Home Buyers, told The Dallas Morning News that the home was sold to the current owner for a little under the asking price of $750,000 but declined to give the exact price tag.

In early February, AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows tweeted out a plan to buy Vinnie Paul's house by creating a decentralized autonomous organization that would allow fans of PANTERA and the drummer's post-PANTERA band HELLYEAH to purchase tokens, also known as NFTs, which they would then use to buy the four-bedroom, five-bath mansion. M. Shadows said that he wanted to preserve Vinnie's legacy.

"This is the place where any musician that came through Dallas would come after a long night at Vinnie's famous strip club or after the shows. Musicians, actors … you name it … It was like the 'Graceland of Heavy Metal,'" M. Shadows tweeted.

Johnston previously told The Dallas Morning News about the property: "I've been in real estate a long time, and I've never seen anything like this house. It was not built to be a family home. It was meant to be a party house."

The secluded hilltop house, which was completed in 1995, featured 40-plus-foot ceilings, four bedrooms, four and a half baths, two game rooms and a secret/safe room. The home had four newer, over-sized Lennox Elite AC units and a gas-operated Generac generator. The backyard featured a large pool with waterfall and a spa that spills into the pool. Two fire pits were on each end of the waterfall.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie Paul and his brother Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

According to TMZ, Vinnie Paul left the bulk of his estate to his longtime girlfriend Chelsey Yeager and his best friend; Charles Jones got 38% while Chelsey walked away with 37%. The rest was split between Vinnie's tour manager (10%),drum tech (5%),producer (5%) and friend (5%). In addition, Vinnie gave his interest in Dimebag's estate to the guitarist's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney.

In 1996, Vinnie Paul — whose full name was Vincent Paul Abbott — and his brother opened a strip club in Dallas that became popular with athletes and visiting musicians. When the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars won the 1999 Stanley Cup, many of the team’s players partied afterward at Vinnie's house. According to The Mercury News, one player attempted to throw the Cup into the swimming pool from a balcony, but it fell short and landed on the concrete — leaving a three-inch dent that had to be pounded out.

A public memorial for Vinnie Paul was held on July 1, 2018 at Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.

Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for the murder of Dimebag.

Not long before his death, Vinnie laid down the drum tracks for HELLYEAH's sixth album, "Welcome Home", which was released in September 2019.