Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher’s First Statement on Brent Hinds Death

Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher has made his first public comments after the death of former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds last week.

The musician admitted that the death of Hinds has hit him rather hard, experiencing a wealth of emotions in trying to process the loss.

What Did Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher Say About the Death of Brent Hinds?

Speaking through his Instagram account, Kelliher shared, “It’s been hard to get a grip on my emotions this week. We had our good and bad times just like in any relationship. All that we accomplished after that first fistfight in the van 25 years ago. I didn’t think you’d be taken from us like this, absolute loss of a true one of a kind guitar wizard extraordinaire.”

He added, “Keeping up with you taught me a lot. You were a brother. We were a family. You were a wild man not to be tamed. You could fuck up bowling ball with a feather. You weren’t perfect but you were always DIRTY-B!! Your vagabond/gypsy/wild child lives on through your music, I will miss your crazy ass Manimal.”

The Instagram post came with a carousel of pictures featuring Kelliher and Hinds both on and offstage throughout the years.

Who Else From Mastodon Weighed in on Brent Hinds’ Death?

While Kelliher is the first from the primary foursome of Mastodon to weigh in on Hinds death, touring keyboardist João “Rasta” Nogueira also shared an emotional posting through his Instagram reflecting on the person and musician that Hinds was.

The musician shared a photo of himself with Hinds conversing over beers inside a business.

He explains in the post, “This is the last I saw of you.”

Speaking to who Hinds was and their relationship, he shared the following:

This is the last I saw of you. You were troubled, crushed by the weight of your own existence and you wanted me to go with you to a place where I could not follow. When I would worry about you, you would say, “you can’t kill stupid, Joao.” I feel stupid now that I can’t worry about you anymore. You were a true Steppenwolf. You lived this life in constant tension between the comforts and joys of a successful music career and that overwhelming existential despair and we loved you for it, we worshipped you for it, we believed in your art because in your raptures we believed you touched truth. Most of us will never be like that; we needed the likes of you, the wild ones, so that we could be normal in our tamed, domestic lingering in this world and in that need we also believed that you could not die. Man is mortal. You were man. But I reject the syllogism and I think deep down every one of us rejects it at some level. Every death is unnatural and yours to me is painful beyond measure. I love you, Brent. I am sorry. I will do you honor.

Brent Hinds’ Death and the Aftermath

Former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds died last Wednesday night (Aug. 20) as the result of a motorcycle accident in his hometown of Atlanta at the age of 51.

In a posting shared to the Mastodon Instagram account shortly after news began to spread of the guitarist’s death, the band stated, “We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. We are heartbroken, shocked and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends and fans. At this time, we please ask that you respect.”

READ MORE: Rock + Metal Musicians Pay Tribute to Former Mastodon Guitarist Brent Hinds

Hinds had been a member of Mastodon for 25 prior to his split with the band back in March of this year. The group had been complimentary of Hinds both in their statement and an interview granted by guitarist Bill Kelliher shortly after the split. But Hinds weighed in on Mastodon-related social media posts sharing a more contentious view of the split calling his former bandmates “horrible humans” and ripping their musicianship and personalities while sharing that he had been fired.

Despite the seeming animosity from Hinds, the group has continued to honor their former bandmate. During a show on Friday (Aug. 23) in Alaska, drummer Brann Dailor addressed the crowd.

“We lost somebody very special to us yesterday,” Dailor said of Hinds. “Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we’ve ever come across in this world, tragically left us. Very, very unfortunate.

“We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that’s gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight.

“So we will continue to play Brent’s beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and traveled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of fucking kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played, for all the stages we stepped on.

“I don’t know. We’re just at a loss for words. We’re absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again. But you guys made it okay for us to come on stage and do this tonight. So that was for fucking Brent, okay? Thank you guys so much.”

The group has been playing shows with Nick Johnson filling in on guitar while they determine their next move without Hinds. The band has a bit of a break for the remainder of the year. Only the Levitation Festival in Austin, Texas on Sept. 26 and a Nov. 15 performance at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans remain on their 2025 touring itinerary. Visit the band’s website for Mastodon ticketing information.