Late SLIPKNOT Bassist PAUL GRAY Celebrated Through Art Installation And Tribute Book

After the life of Paul Gray, co-founder and bassist of SLIPKNOT, was tragically cut short, a void was left in the lives of his family, friends and fans. As the fifth anniversary of his passing comes upon us, local artists have joined forces to create an installation titled "2 Minutes Wasn't Long Enough" that will be featured inside the Kum & Go Theater at the Des Moines Social Club, June 19-20.

Following Paul's passing, a SLIPKNOT performance observed two minutes of silence in his honor, to which fans wrote to his family expressing more was needed to pay tribute to his contributions to their lives. The messages of hope and beautiful sentiment have been gathered to create a commemorative photo book where the words are written by the fans themselves. Images of his costumes, guitars, and personal moments from his life will be featured throughout, and it will be available for the first time at the installation event and later online. All proceeds will benefit Paul's daughter, October.

"I still to this day receive an overwhelming amount of correspondence from those who felt passionately that Paul and his music had a direct impact on their lives," said Brenna Gray, Paul's widow. "I knew we owed it to them and to my daughter, who never had the chance to meet her father, to showcase what a special and unique talent he offered to the world."

The exhibit will launch in Des Moines, where SLIPKNOT was founded and Paul's family still resides today. Memorabilia from Paul's personal collection including guitars, masks, costumes, photographs and more will be showcased within the installation. Admission is free to attend, and doors will open at 6 p.m. Opening night, Friday, June 19, will include music by BROTHER TRUCKER, an Americana roots rock band, featuring original and cover songs during the performance.

The Des Moines event is the only currently planned, but the family is looking into touring opportunities in the future, especially in Los Angeles, Paul's hometown.

For more information, visit ForeverSic.com.

Gray passed away in May 2010 from an accidental overdose of drugs, leaving behind Brenna and October, who was born the following August.

A lawsuit filed by Brenna against Paul's former doctor was dismissed last August. A judge ruled that Brenna Gray waited until after the two-year statute of limitations had run out before filing the lawsuit against Dr. Daniel Baldi.

Brenna testified in court that she tried reaching out to some of Paul's bandmates in SLIPKNOT just days prior to the bassist's death but that none of them wanted to get involved. She revealed, "One was playing golf two minutes away from our house but couldn't come. Nobody else cared, nobody was involved. They told me it was my problem."

Brenna said in a 2011 interview with Revolver that her husband had agreed to get help for his drug problem just one day before he died.

Paul was 38 years old at the time of his death.

Although the identity of Gray's replacement in SLIPKNOT has not been officially revealed, he is believed to be Alessandro "Vman" Venturella.