Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.
Our Brother Jeff Hanneman, May He Rest In Peace (1964 - 2013)
— Slayer
Hanneman founded Slayer with fellow guitarist Kerry King in 1981 in suburban Los Angeles and they went on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide.
The band was known as one of the "big four" thrash metal groups of the 1980s, along with Anthrax, Megadeth and Metallica.
The thrash metal genre was distinct for its extremely fast tempo, big double-bass drums and dark themes, often dealing with Satanism, war and serial killers.
Music website Allmusic.com said the band's trademark "full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chops paint an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side."
Hanneman is best known as a writer of the songs Raining Blood and Angel of Death from the 1986 album Reign of Blood, which is considered a landmark of the genre.
Hanneman is survived by his wife and three siblings.