December 8th Is the Worst Day in Rock History

Today is the day that Dimebag Darrell was killed, but it's worse than that.

I call December 8 'the day the music was killed.' The 'day that the music died' was really bad, but that was a pure accident. On this day, we have two (or three, depending on how you see it) murders.

Not only is today the day the Dimebag was shot and killed (along with his bodyguard, Mayhem), but also the day that John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman. Wait, there's more. Today is also the day that up-and-coming drummer Razzle from Hanoi Rocks was killed when driving around with Vince Neil of Motley Crue. (Today is also the day that Ozzy Osbourne had that ATV accident that nearly took him out.)

There is an upside. Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour is celebrating a birthday. Phil Collen of Def Leppard is also celebrating his birthday. Jim Morrison of the Doors would have been celebrating a birthday. Finally, today is the day that Metallica became the first band to play on every continent.

I would like to note that we rarely do any tributes on December 8, preferring to celebrate Dimebag on his birthday of August 20th. In fact, marking Dimebag's birthday on our wall calendar is one of the first things I do each and every year. In addition, I am proud that I lobbied our own show, Loudwire Nights, which is broadcast all over the country, to recognize Dimebag Darrell on his birthday each and every year, too.