Slipknot has parted ways with longtime keyboardist and DJ Sid Wilson after almost three decades with the heavy metal band.
The group announced the split on Friday, August 14, in a statement that was briefly posted on its website before being removed. The same announcement remains on the Instagram account for Knotfest, the music festival founded by Slipknot.
“Effective immediately, Slipknot will no longer be associated with Sid Wilson. We wish him the best in his future endeavours,” the statement read.
Wilson joined the Des Moines, Iowa-based band in 1998 as its ninth member, shortly before Slipknot signed with Roadrunner Records and released its self-titled debut album in 1999.
His departure follows weeks of uncertainty over his future with the group. In July, TMZ reported that Wilson had been informed on July 31 that he was being dropped from Slipknot. The band did not initially confirm the report, while guitarist Jim Root appeared to urge fans not to draw conclusions.
“Don’t believe everything you read,” Root wrote in a since-expired Instagram Story, according to People.
Wilson became known for his distinctive DJ performances and gas-mask-inspired stage appearance, which complemented Slipknot’s famously elaborate masked image.
During his nearly 30-year tenure, the band released several successful albums, including three Billboard 200 No. 1 records: All Hope Is Gone,5: The Gray Chapter, and We Are Not Your Kind.
Slipknot has yet to publicly provide further details about the circumstances surrounding Wilson’s departure.
