Faith No More, Megadeth and Anthrax pay tribute to Corrosion of Conformity drummer Reed Mullin, who has died aged 53

Corrosion of Conformity drummer Reed Mullin has died at the age of 53.

His bandmates announced the drummer’s passing, but did not elaborate on the cause of death.

In an Instagram post they said: “It’s with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to a friend, a brother and pioneer. Reed you are loved and always will be. Lets all take a moment…”

Mullin played drums on the band’s first six albums, including their 1984 debut ‘Eye for an Eye’, following their formation in 1982 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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It’s with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to a friend, a brother and pioneer. Reed you are loved and always will be. Lets all take a moment…

A post shared by Corrosion Of Conformity (@coccabal) on Jan 27, 2020 at 7:16pm PST

He played all the way through 2000’s ‘America’s Volume Dealers‘ and, after a period of inactivity from 2005 to 2011, the band returned with a self-titled album, which Mullin featured on, in 2012.

He also played drums on the band’s most recent albums, 2014’s ‘IX‘ and 2018’s ‘No Cross No Crown‘.

According to Pitchfork, Mullin struggled with alcohol abuse and was dismissed from touring after an alcohol-related seizure before a show in Canada in 2016.

A host of musicians have paid tribute to the late sticksman following his death, including Faith No More‘s Mike Patton who wrote: “Damn! So sad to hear about my ol pal Reed Mullin. Rest in peace my friend. You go girl!”

The band also wrote a separate tribute simply saying: “R.I.P. to Reed Mullin, an old friend.”

Other tributes included Megadeth‘s David Ellefson, who said:  “Very sad to hear about the passing of our friend @ReedMullin of @coccabal. Prayers and condolences to his family, friends and bandmates….RIP,” while Anthrax man Charlie Benante added: “I’m so saddened to hear about #reedmullin . I think back to the days of meeting him and getting to know this person that had a glow around him.”

You can see a selection of tributes to Mullin below.

R.I.P. to Reed Mullin, an old friend… pic.twitter.com/TWTmumg1Je

— Faith No More (@FaithNoMore) January 28, 2020

Very sad to hear about the passing of our friend @ReedMullin of @coccabal . Prayers and condolences to his family, friends and bandmates….RIP.

— David Ellefson (@ellefsondavid) January 28, 2020

I’m so saddened to hear about #reedmullin . I think back to the days of meeting him and getting to know this person that had a glow around him . I’ll never forget the time he lost one of his shoes in the pit at one… https://t.co/Kk1qB70p2Z

— Charlie Benante (@skisum) January 28, 2020

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I got the sad news last night that my friend Reed Mullin passed away. Reed was the drummer for one of my all-time favorite bands, Corrosion of Conformity, & he is also one of the reasons I am a singer in a band today. Back in 1985, C.O.C. put out their ground-breaking hardcore crossover record, “Animosity” & from the first time I heard it I loved it- I wore that freaking tape out. My favorite track on that album is one Reed sang, “Hungry Child.” One day I was going skateboarding with some older dudes in Wilmington, NC (I was around 15 years old at the time) & we were in a car driving to the spot- someone threw “Animosity” into the cassette deck. When “Hungry Child” came on, I started singing along. The driver turned around & said “Damn, kid- you can actually sing like that. You should be in a band one day.” That was the first time anyone had ever told me that, I never forgot it, & I never will. If you listen to the way I scream at times, & you listen to “Hungry Child” you’ll hear Reed in my delivery. I told Reed that story many years later, after we had become friends, & he was super stoked. Reed was an O.G. punk rocker from the American South, a place where it wasn’t easy to be different in back in the day. He booked shows for other bands who came through Raleigh, NC, & was super important to the development of the hardcore scene in general. I met him for the first time in an airport when he came up to me & said “Nice shirt!” (I was wearing a C.O.C. one)- we became friends, I got to interview him for my radio show, & I even sang in his super group, Teenage Time Killers. Once in the 80’s my brother & I went to go see C.O.C.- my brother didn’t have enough money to buy a t-shirt, so Reed (who was selling merch after the gig) traded him one for the Black Flag t-shirt he was wearing- that’s the kinda dude he was. Reed also played at the hands-down greatest gig I ever saw- Bad Brains, C.O.C., & Leeway in VA Beach in the 80’s. I took this photo when my band took out C.O.C. on tour- we played freaking Red Rocks on that run- not too shabby for two dirt bag punk rockers from the South. Rest In Peace, Reed- you’re a legend & an influence & I’ll miss ya, bro.

A post shared by D. Randall Blythe (@drandallblythe) on Jan 28, 2020 at 4:05am PST

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Very sad to hear about Reed. SUPER nice guy, fantastic drummer. MH toured with C.O.C. @coccabal back in 97 and he was great dude to hang with. Their album Animosity and especially the song “Loss For Words” blew my mind back in the day. Blind will be in heavy rotation tmro. Rest In Peace brutha??

A post shared by robbflynn (@robbflynn) on Jan 28, 2020 at 12:30am PST

RIP Reed Mullin (C.O.C) https://t.co/FNJqplhhiM #ripreedmullin #hardcore

— Earache Records♠️ (@EaracheRecords) January 28, 2020

I met Reed Mullin only once when COC cruised through Toronto in 1990. Even that brief meeting was memorable & I got a pretty sweet story out of it (that has to do with this exact photo). Always thought COC were the coolest band on the scene and Reed the coolest. RIP Reed Mullin pic.twitter.com/O7ZgGb8T5d

— Danko Jones (@dankojones) January 28, 2020