Headline PH: Slipknot pays tribute to bassist, but who's who?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Tearful members of Grammy-winning metal band Slipknot shocked fans on Tuesday by appearing in public without masks for the first time in their career to pay tribute to their deceased bass player.

A brief news conference, carried live on the Internet, took place a day after 38-year-old Paul Gray was found dead at a hotel near the group's hometown of Des Moines, Iowa.

One big problem for fans watching the news conference: Who was who among the eight surviving members? A simultaneous live feed of Twitter and other messages indicated much uncertainty about the identity of most of the members speaking.

Most of Gray's ashen bandmates struggled to hold back tears. Guitarists Mick Thompson and James Root and sampler Craig Jones were too saddened to say anything.

"It's very important that everybody on the outside of us understands that Paul Gray was the essence of the band Slipknot, and Paul was there from the very, very, very beginning," said percussionist M. Shawn Crahan, who played with Gray in an early version of Slipknot during the early 1990s.

Slipknot became notorious for its performances. Its members often broke each other's bones, set each other on fire, and injured their fans after diving into the crowd.

Inspired by their heroes KISS, each member wears a grotesque mask in public along with coveralls, and is identified by a number. Gray was No. 2.

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Slipknot pays tribute to bassist, but who's who?

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