The sudden death of Nevermore / Sanctuary vocalist Warrel Dane has left the metal world stunned and saddened. Since Dane’s death yesterday (Dec. 13) many of his past and present bandmates and good friends have paid tribute to the singer via social media.

Though Dane’s cause of death is unconfirmed, the vocalist is thought to have suffered a heart attack according to guitarist Johnny Moraes, who had been recording with Dane for his second solo album. Warrel Dane’s diabetes and problems with alcoholism are thought to have played a part in his health failure.

Fellow Nevermore bandmate and guitar legend Jeff Loomis took to Instagram and shared a vintage photo of himself with Dane:

Sanctuary guitarist Lenny Rutledge offered the following tribute to Dane:

"Today I wake up to the news that Warrel Dane has died. I don’t even know what to say. My friend, brother and musical companion for over 30 years has passed away. I’m in total shock right now. I’m sorry for any close family or friends that had to hear the news on Facebook."

Former Nevermore live guitarist Curran Murphy shared a simple message right after hearing the sad news:

Murphy later followed up with the statement, “I know where I come from and how lucky I was to play guitar for this band, I worked very hard to be worthy of these four talented musicians.”

More of metal’s most influential musicians shared their feelings on Dane’s death via Twitter, which you can see below:

Rockers We've Lost in 2017

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