Guitar World‘s August 2013 issue has a cover story dedicated to the life and legacy of late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. In it, Hanneman‘s widow Kathryn details her husband’s troubled mindset following the life-altering January 2011 spider bite that left him largely unable to play guitar in the capacity to which he was previously accustomed.
An excerpt from the feature of Kathryn detailing Hanneman‘s outlook after the initial surgeries and treatment for the bite which saw his arm ravaged by necrotizing fasciitis can be found below. More of the feature is available now at Guitarworld.com and in the actual magazine itself.
“I couldn’t get Jeff to go to rehab or therapy. I think he was letting the visual of his arm get to his emotions, and it was messing with his mind. It was hard to keep him upbeat at that point. I think he thought he could do this on his own—that he would just to go rehearsal and play, and that that would be his rehab. But I think he started to learn, once he tried rehearsing, that he wasn’t playing up to his ability and that he wasn’t able to play guitar at the speed he was used to. And I think that really hit him hard, and he started to lose hope.”
Hanneman passed away on May 02nd, 2013 as a result of liver failure. His official cause of death was announced as alcohol-related cirrhosis.
