Avenged Sevenfold drummer found dead

AVENGED SEVENFOLD drummer James Owen Sullivan (a.k.a. The Rev) was found dead at his home on Monday (December 28) according to The Orange County Register. He was only 28 years old.

It seems that Sullivan died of natural causes, Huntington Beach police Lt. John Domingo told The Orange County Register. Police were notified by firefighters who had responded to Sullivan's home about 1 p.m., according to the report.

Sullivan is survived by his wife, Leana MacFadden.

In addition to playing drums for AVENGED SEVENFOLD, The Rev was a prolific songwriter, having contributed the track "A Little Piece of Heaven" (see video below) to the band's fourth studio CD, 2007's "Avenged Sevenfold".

According to Reuters, AVENGED SEVENFOLD in recent years tried to live down its reputation for debauchery. Sullivan, in particular, had raised eyebrows after a 2006 cover story in metal magazine Revolver described his penchant for cocaine and other drugs.