Yesterday (January 25th), Dino Cazares (Fear Factory, Divine Heresy) confirmed reports that former Nile and Divine Heresy bassist Joseph Payne has passed away. He was 35 years-old. Following is Cazares' statement: 

"Our metal brother Joseph Payne has passed away. Another one gone way to 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."

Nile leader Karl Sanders has since posted the following message:

"The members of Nile were saddened this weekend to learn of the passing of one of our own, our dear Metal Brother Joe Payne. We have no details as yet what caused this tragedy, but his loss is a profound one. 

During Joe's time with Nile in 2005-07, Joe was a true brother and band member in every sense of the word. He always gave 110% onstage every day, was full of positive enthusiasm, and was a brightly burning spirit. Joe joined us at the tender age of 19, on recommendation from Kreishloff of Lecherous Nocturne. Possessed of an incredible talent beyond his years, Joe was never afraid to face any of the challenges in stepping onto the world's stages. The very first obstacle, of course, was learning the entire Nile set and stepping into the uncomfortably large shoes of recently departed legendary Nile bassist Jon Vesano. Just being able to play those difficult Nile songs on bass while doing Jon's vocal parts was a Herculean task, let alone pulling it all off convincingly in less than a week. But Joe fearlessly stepped up, and boldly walked out on the stages all across Europe to help promote the Annihilation Of The Wicked album. 

Joe, of course, killed it from the first note, nailing the songs with an awesome stage presence and a supernova of metal energy. It became immediately clear that metal was what Joe was born to do. The next two years of touring for AOTW were an exceptionally busy time for Nile, and Joe's fire and will to conquer never let up, not for a single moment. On and off stage, Joe was a great band member, traveling companion, and friend. The time Joe spent with us is something we will remember always. 

Rest in Peace, Brother Joe, you are a True Metal Warrior."