SLIPKNOT's SHAWN 'CLOWN' CRAHAN On His Daughter's Death: 'Losing A Child Isn't Something You Get Over'

October 1, 2022

In a new interview with U.K.'s Independent, SLIPKNOT percussionist and co-founder M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan reflected on the loss of his daughter, saying it is one of the most horrific pains any parent can go through. "I know what real evil is now," he said. "Anything I thought was evil, all my past problems are minuscule compared with the path that my wife and I are on. We're all so locked to the clock and the dollar that we almost refuse to see those other paths that other human beings are walking. With me, I see the people on paths next to me. I don't want you on my path. I don't want to invite you over on this path. I don't want to teach you about the path. Goddammit, I didn't even know this path was here but I'm on it now."

He added: "Losing a child isn't something you get over. That's all I can say. It changes you — and that's it."

Gabrielle Crahan died on May 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, with Shawn announcing the death the following day. The 22-year-old was one of four children Shawn had with his wife, Chantel, whom he married in June 1992.

Gabrielle was remembered in her obituary as a "social butterfly" with an "outgoing personality, cheerful attitude, compassion and loving heart."

The obituary said Gabrielle fought hard against drug addiction and worked to help others who were also struggling.

"She fought it bravely, and no matter how many times she fell, she would always get back up again," according to her obituary.

"If there was anything she wanted to leave behind in her memory, it was standing up for others, always being empathetic and compassionate and never giving up on the battle against addiction," the obituary said.

Although no official cause of death had been revealed, TMZ reported that Gabrielle died from what appeared to be a drug overdose. Police and the fire department responded to a call for a possible O.D. at a Hollywood home, where they found Gabrielle's body. CPR was administered, according to the site, but failed to revive her. Law enforcement sources said there was drug paraphernalia and evidence of narcotic use at the scene.

Gabrielle died just two days after proudly showing off an Alcoholics Anonymous coin she'd been given to mark five months sobriety.

"5 months" she wrote on Instagram, sharing a smiling selfie.

In her obituary, Gabrielle was described as "a beach girl at heart" who "loved swimming and tubing at the lake, riding her long board and feeling the sun shine on her face."

Gabrielle's brother Simon and older sister Alexandria both expressed their grief over her death on social media.

Shawn previously discussed his daughter's death in an April 2021 interview with Terry "Beez" Bezer of Knotfest.com's "Mosh Talks With Beez". At the time, he said: "When you have a loss like that, you can't imagine the steps backwards you take and the words that come to mind that you have to take notice to and then take stock to. And there's not a single thing anybody in the world's gonna say that's gonna change it. Period — end of story. I mean, think about that. There's nothing anybody in the world could ever teach me — I'm a human that can be taught — no one can teach me or give me a tool that will make that acceptable, ever. So you take a lot of steps backwards. And when you do that, you notice, 'Wow. I've been abusing my own art.'"

In September 2018, ShawnCrahan paid tribute to his daughter on her birthday by sharing a throwback picture of a young Gabrielle. He wrote: "We love you Gabri."

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