Dying Words: The Rev (Avenged Sevenfold)

"Everybody's Got to Die Sometime"
I was writing a song about dying, when I noticed that everyone who writes or sings about death, dies ... and usually tragically.
Jimmy Sullivan, a.k.a. The Rev, was a composer, vocalist and pianist, best known as the drummer and a founding member of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. The Rev played a triple bass drum kit and perfected "the Double Octopus", a technique where he doubles up at a fast tempo between the double bass and ride cymbals.
Death, dying, violence and the afterlife were featured on all four of the Avenged Sevenfold albums that The Rev played on.
On Dec 28, 2009, the Rev was found unresponsive in his Huntington Beach home. Toxicology results revealed that he died from an overdose of oxycodone, oxymorphone, diazepam (Valium), nordiazepam, and alcohol.
Side Note: I quickly reworked the theme of my tune to be about returning home through space and time (totally not dying). I then dropped the lyrics and turned the melody into a guitar instrumental. That should be safe ( • Before I Go by The Lon... )!