Dimebag Murder Painting To Goes Under The Hammer

A controversial painting that depicts the murder of rocker ‘DIMEBAG’ DARRELL ABBOTT is to be auctioned in London.

American artist Tom Sanford painted The Assassination of Dimebag Darrell in 2005, part of a series of violent-themed artworks that also includes his interpretation of a 2004 Vibe Awards stabbing involving 50 Cent.

His creations have attracted criticism, but Sanford insists he merely sought to capture the tragic death of the former Pantera star, at the hands of a crazed fan at a concert in December 2004.

Sanford tells Blabbermouth.net, “I think of it as a history painting that attempts to depict one of the more bizarrely tragic moments of the past decade.

“Dimebag’s death was certainly a great loss to the music world and a truly poignant cultural event - a real rock hero slain on stage by a seemingly psychotic fan.

“One of the things that interested me about making a painting about this event was that as there was almost no visual documentation of the event, just some very unclear security camera footage.”

The piece will be sold at a music-themed auction in the British capital later this month (21Nov09). It’s expected to fetch between $800 (£500) and $1,120 (£700).