Gavin Rossdale posted on Instagram about the death of Brent Hinds, “We lost Brent .this is just terrible and useless . What a musician . And he was directly responsible for stopping me on a self sabotage back to the fatally dangerous world of Xanax when our paths crossed that i had already escaped . he spoke about its actual deadly effects.the slowing down of the body .the barely breathing . I will always be grateful for that advice . This life can be ended in a literal moment . I should have taken guitar lessons from Brent .🖤”
This past Wednesday night (Aug. 20th), Mastodon co-founder Brent Hinds passed away at the age of 51 following a fatal motorcycle crash in Atlanta, GA. During Mastodon’s first show since Hinds’ death on Friday (Aug. 22nd), the band took some time to pay tribute to their former guitarist.
“We lost somebody very special to us yesterday,” Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor told the crowd during their concert in Palmer, Alaska. “Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we’ve ever come across in this world, tragically left us. Very, very unfortunate.”
Dailor continued: “We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that’s gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight.
“So we will continue to play Brent’s beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and traveled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of f*cking kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played, for all the stages we stepped on.
“I don’t know. We’re just at a loss for words. We’re absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again. But you guys made it okay for us to come on stage and do this tonight. So that was for f*cking Brent, okay? Thank you guys so much.”
Hinds announced his exit from Mastodon in March 2025. Until that point, the band’s lineup of Hinds, Dailor, Troy Sanders, and Bill Kelliher had largely remained unchanged since their formation in 2000.
Upon learning of his death on Thursday (Aug. 21st), Mastodon released a statement on social media, writing:
“We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends, and fans. At this time, we please ask that you respect everyone’s privacy during this difficult time.”
