vincent paul abbott (march 11, 1964 – june 22, 2018), also known as vinnie paul, was an american heavy metal drummer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. he was born in abilene, texas. he was best known for being the former drummer, and co-founder, of the heavy metal band pantera. he was a member of hellyeah. he also co-founded the heavy metal band damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, dimebag darrell.