Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman Contracts Necrotizing Fasciitis

by Jordan Yerman | February 15, 2011 at 10:49 am

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Jeff Hanneman: Slayer Guitarist Drops Out of Tour Due to Flesh-Eating Disease

Jeff Hanneman, guitarist for Slayer, had to drop out of the band's upcoming tour, after he contracted necrotizing fasciitis from a spider bite. We wish Hanneman well, and no doubt he is keenly aware that he contracted the most Metal disease in the world.

Necrotizing fasciitis is caused by a bacterial infection, and often progresses quickly. Tissue around the point of entry becomes swollen and discolored, and subcutaneous tissue begins to die. If left untreated, necrotizing fasciitis is fatal.

Slayer's members have agreed that the show must go on, so the band will tour with a session guitarist until Jeff Hanneman is ready to rock once more. In the meantime, hopefully he will document his surgery and recovery for future album covers. It worked for Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys.

Hanneman has contracted necrotizing fasciitis. It is a rare disease which destroys skin, fat and tissue from below the surface of the body. He is believed to have caught the disease from a spider bite and will undergo surgery on his right arm shortly.

We'll look at WebMD for an overview of the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis, but note that the Internet is no substitute for a real-life doctor.

The symptoms often start suddenly. You may have:

Pain from an injury that gets better over 24 to 36 hours and then suddenly gets worse. The pain may be much worse than you would expect from the size of the wound or injury.

Skin that is red, swollen, and hot to the touch.

A fever and chills.

Nausea and vomiting.

Diarrhea.