Former NILE And DIVINE HERESY Bassist JOSEPH PAYNE Dies

Former NILE and DIVINE HERESY bassist Joseph Payne has died. He was 35 years old. No cause of death has yet been revealed.

Payne’s passing was confirmed by his onetime DIVINE HERESY bandmate Dino Cazares (also of FEAR FACTORY and ASESINO), who took to social media earlier today to write: “Our metal brother Joseph Payne has passed away. Another one gone way too young.

“I wasn’t going to say anything until I got confirmation from his family, which I now did. At this time no cause of death has been revealed.

“Joe was a great friend, a great band member and an incredible musician. Although he played bass in ‪DIVINE HERESY‬, he was an incredible guitarist. I first saw him playing bass in NILE and right then and there, I said, ‘I want that guy in my band.’ After having that first conversation that night, I realized he was a great dude and from there on, we’ve shared some amazing moments in life and on tour, from Australia to South America to Canada to Mexico to Europe etc.

“Joe was a very outgoing funny guy with a very friendly personality. He was loved by many and he loved all his fans and road friends. He never complained when times got tough on the road. He always helped everyone and worked his ass off when he was in DH and I admired him for being that way.
“We love you and we will miss you. Rest in peace, my friend.“

Payne quit DIVINE HERESY in January 2011, explaining in a statement that his “passion for this project” had “been insufficient for quite sometime now.”

Back in December 2012, Payne made headlines when was arrested in connection with an investigation into the distribution of more than 2,900 grams of marijuana in the Iredell County area in North Carolina.