After conducting an investigation into the matter, Atlanta police have determined that Mastodon co-founder Brent Hinds was responsible for the motorcycle accident which took his life on August 20th, 2025. Atlantanewsfirst.com report that police have concluded the 51-year-old musician was at fault for the crash, having been speeding at the time of the accident. Hinds was said to have been driving between 63 to 68 mph at the time of the accident, which police stated is roughly twice the posted speed limit where the collision between his Harley Davidson and an SUV that failed to yield making a turn collided.
Police determined their findings via camera footage and reports from two witnesses. Police ultimately stated, that “Hinds was at fault for the crash.” Hinds suffered multiple injuries to his head, arms and torso in the collision and was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.
A march celebrating his life was held in the city of Atlanta, GA last weekend and was attended by his former bandmates in Mastodon, as well as various friends, family and fans. Hinds‘s official obituary can be read below:
‘William Brent Hinds, acclaimed guitarist, vocalist, and founding member of pioneering metal band Mastodon, passed away on August 20, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 51.
Born on January 16, 1974, in Birmingham, Alabama, Brent’s passion for music began early. At age 12, he asked his parents for a guitar and began private lessons, quickly immersing himself in the craft. In junior high, he formed his first band, Kil Darling, and performed throughout the Birmingham area. His talent and dedication led him to the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where he studied music and learned to appreciate a wide range of styles.
After graduating from Pelham High School in 1992, Brent moved to Atlanta to pursue his music career. While working as a carpenter’s apprentice, he became a fixture in the local music scene. It was there he met Troy Sanders, Bill Kelliher, and Brann Dailor, forming the band Mastodon that he helped lead for a quarter century.
Brent’s work with Mastodon earned critical acclaim, including multiple Grammy nominations and a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2018. He also led and contributed to numerous side projects, including Fiend Without a Face, West End Motel, Legend of the Seagullmen, and Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, showcasing his genre-defying creativity.
Brent was a true original, known for blending country, bluegrass, and psychedelia into metal. His emotional playing and signature picking technique—shaped by his early years of playing banjo—inspired countless musicians and fans. His work on albums like Leviathan, Crack the Skye, and The Hunter is considered groundbreaking, with many calling him one of the most creative guitarists of his generation.
Beyond music, Brent had a wide range of hobbies and interests that reflected his free-spirited, creative, and unconventional personality. A self-described “wildling,” Brent was a motorcycle enthusiast, outdoorsman, and artist. His hobbies included antique vehicles, hunting, fishing, water and snow skiing, golf, drawing and painting, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Like his music, Brent was complex, passionate, and fiercely original. Known for his rebellious streak and raw honesty, Brent was both unpredictable and deeply loyal. He was eccentric, funny, and full of energy, with a generous heart beneath the chaos. He lived life on his own terms, leaving behind a legacy as unforgettable as the music he created.
Brent is survived by his mother, Dean Snyder Campbell; father, Billy Hinds; stepmother Heide Hinds; stepsister, Traci Perry; nephew, Walker Hinds; niece, Lily Hinds; uncle, Donnie Snyder; aunt, Linda Kay Hinds Duke; and many cousins, extended family, friends, and fans. He was preceded in death by his brother Bradley Ray Hinds, and grandmothers A.B. Snyder and Cornelia G. Hinds.’
