Thousands brave cold to bid farewell

Celebrities, fans pay tribute to 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott

By John Austin and Susan Schrock

STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERS


ARLINGTON - Nearly 5,000 fans and friends joined rock royalty at a packed Arlington Convention Center on Tuesday night to say goodbye to guitar star "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was gunned down onstage last week.

Fans waited for hours in near-freezing temperatures, and traffic choked the streets surrounding the convention center.

The stage in the convention center's Grand Hall was flanked with 100 floral arrangements, which arrived in six vans, including several Crown Royal whiskey-bottle tributes and two floral guitars.

A tippling Eddie Van Halen and former Ozzy Osbourne guitar player Zakk Wylde traded anecdotes about Abbott in front of three large video screens that carried images of the departed star, 38, who continued to call Texas home even after winning international renown with Pantera.

Van Halen put his cellphone up to the microphone and played a message that Abbott had left him recently. The center went silent. Abbott told Van Halen how much he admired him and was glad to have had a chance to work with him.

When the fans heard Abbott's voice, they cheered.

Van Halen said he was going to make a CD from the message.

Abbott was playing with his new band, Damageplan, when he was fatally shot in Columbus, Ohio, last Wednesday.

Flanking the stage were a dozen poster-size magazine covers featuring the guitarist known for his fierce riffs.

Jerry Cantrell of the now-defunct Alice in Chains preceded Van Halen and Wylde. He performed Brother and Got Me Wrong on acoustic guitar as the crowd thrust fists in the air and sang along.

Cantrell said he had been at the private funeral earlier in the day, and he called the service "beautiful."

"Today's really been the start of the healing process," he said, adding that he was heartened by fans who came to the public memorial. "It makes me feel a lot better."

Many of the musicians and entertainment figures paid their respects at Arlington services earlier in the day.

"They had him dressed exactly as you would find him on stage," said comedian Mark Britten, who attended the services. He said Abbott was laid out in camouflage shorts with a yellow-and-black guitar that Van Halen had given him. "As bad as it is, he had a very good send off."

But the stars weren't the only ones who came in from distant points to say farewell.

"We started driving at midnight," said Brian Connelly, 26, of Albuquerque. "I said, 'We aren't gonna make it.' "

Instead, he turned back to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Texas.

"I would have totally regretted this if we hadn't come," he said. "Just gotta come here and pay respects to a great man."

At 8:15 p.m., the line at the convention center wrapped halfway around the building and snaked into the parking lot. Streets leading into the convention center at Ballpark Way were jammed.

Fans, wearing everything from black Pantera T-shirts to business suits, waited more than five hours to get into the memorial service. Young children slept on the sidewalk, where temperatures hovered in the 30s.

Once inside, fans faced heavy security, including metal detectors and pat-downs.

"It's very Secret-Service-like," said Anthony Davis, who flew in from Los Angeles to head the security team. "We felt it prudent to put extreme security measures in place."

Earlier Tuesday, a small procession of limousines left Abbott's Dalworthington Gardens home at about 3 p.m. for the funeral service.

The Abbott family requested that the funeral and burial arrangements remain private.

After the funeral, mourners said Abbott was buried in a KISS-themed casket. In recent years, Abbott made recording appearances with one of his influences, Ace Frehley, KISS' first lead guitarist.

As the sun went down, blue-and-green strobes lit up the sky at the cemetery, and dozens of luminaries led mourners from the parking lot to the grave site.

Rocker Eddie Van Halen and members of the band Slipknot attended the funeral, where Cantrell performed two songs, one acoustic and one folk, officials said.

"He was a prince of a man," said Chris Gipson, 34, who played bass in a band that used to jam with Abbott at the Tattoo bar in Fort Worth. "We all forgot that he was a rock star because he made us forget he was a rock star. He was grateful to his fans."

Fans were able to join the stars in toasting Abbott. Crown Royal and beer were sold in the lobby.

Comedian Jim Florentine was in the VIP section down front as Damageplan drum technician John "Kat" Brooks walked by. Brooks' right hand was still bandaged from the gunshot wound he received during the rampage in Columbus last week, and he declined to be interviewed.

"He just made fans feel welcome," said Florentine, who was a friend and fan. "Whoever was there, he would treat you the same ... really rare in a guy of his status."

Vinnie Paul Abbott took the stage and pulled a life-size cutout of his brother close to him. Darrell Abbott gave his heart to everyone, his brother said. "He went down doing something he loved; he loved playing guitar."

"The brightest star in Texas is shining tonight. That's my brother Dimebag. Give it up."

The fans erupted.

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