TMZ is reporting that Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, who passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54, left the bulk of his estate to his longtime girlfriend and his best friend.

From TMZ: "It's Vinnie's BFF, Charles Jones, who's walking away with 38%. Vinnie's girlfriend, Chelsey Yeager, isn't far behind with 37% of his estate. The rest is split between his tour manager (10%), drum tech (5%), producer (5%) and friend (5%). Vinnie's also giving his interest in his brother and Pantera co-founder Dimebag Darrell's estate to Darrell's gf, Rita Haney. Darrell died in 2004."

Rita Haney recently to Instagram to share her thoughts on Vinnie's death. The post is below.

Haney's Instagram post, which can be seen below, reads:

 

 

 

 

 

It has taken me a while to reach out and thank everyone for all of their love and support.. for just thinking of me.. means the world.. my apologies for being so tardy.. Thank you all❣️ I wish I could put into words what Dime and Vinnie mean to me.. but the emotions are so much more powerful than anything that I could ever say... I love you two so differently but yet both so dearly.. you both carried me through your lives and gave me your all.. I will always love you both and I will always fly your flag strong and proud.. Darrell has always been my heart through thick and thin even when I didn’t know, even when I made mistakes, he forgave me 100%.. Vinnie has always been my “big bro Riggs” for 43 yrs. through thick and thin even when I wasn’t sure.. and to know in the end here in this world, that Riggs still felt the same.. The last time we saw each other in Tampa, back in April, I told you that I knew you loved me because Darrell loved me, but that sometimes you just loved me” You gave me a big ol’ Vinnie Paul style hug and said “your right.. I do love you” We hugged again..❣️ I can never thank you two enough for the beautiful life you both have given me.. and still made sure to give me.. I miss you so.. My Abbott brothers.. Always Stronger Than All ♥️🌹

A post shared by Rita Haney (@dimebagzhag) on Jul 13, 2018 at 10:30am PDT

 

Star-Telegram.com spoke with former Pantera tour manager Guy Sykes in the wake of the death of drummer Vinnie Paul:

Guy Sykes, who had a long tenure as Pantera's tour manager, had known Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell Abbott, the Arlington-raised founders of the metal band, since they were teens. On Saturday, for the second time, he attended one of their funerals.

"I've known 'em since about 1982," Sykes said in a phone interview Saturday night, hours after the funeral for Vinnie Paul Abbott, who died June 22 at age 54 (an official cause of death has yet to be determined). "You can't really separate one without talking about the other. You can't talk about Vinnie without talking about Darrell, and not just because they were brothers. Their bond was stronger. It was music, their passion for music."

Sykes was Pantera's tour manager from 1986 to 2003, and worked with Damageplan as well. The '90s were peak years for Pantera, when they were one of the most popular metal bands in the world, but Sykes' association with the brothers starts well before then, when they were a bar band developing a loyal North Texas following.

"I can remember the first time I met them," Sykes says. "I was just out of high school. Back then, the drinking laws were a little more liberal in Texas, I think the drinking age was 18 or it had just turned 19. I had a job a job as a bartender at this place called the Rock of Texas in Denison. ... One weekend we had this band booked in called Pantera, and — amazing."

Between Pantera, Damageplan and Paul's time in Hellyeah, the Abbotts left a legacy that Sykes says will continue.

"Even after the loss, Vinnie and Darrell's spirit lives on," he says. "I always see a Pantera shirt. It makes me smile that younger kids who never got to see the band live get to know the music like I got to learn who Black Sabbath was when I was a kid, 15, 20 years after the first Black Sabbath record."

Read more here.