An event dubbed The Jeff Hanneman Memorial Celebration will take place May 23 at the Hollywood Palladium, in Los Angeles. It will be free and open to the public.

Hanneman, who passed away May 2 at the age of 49, co-founded Slayer with fellow guitarist Kerry King, bassist Tom Araya, and drummer Dave Lombardo in 1981. He stayed out of the spotlight, rarely did interviews, and when not on tour essentially went “incommunicado” so he could spend time with his wife and family; they were also the reason Slayer would not tour into late December, as Christmas was his favorite holiday.

Hanneman helped shape Slayer’s sound – and the thrash genre – through his songs, including “Angel of Death,” “Raining Blood,” “South of Heaven” and “War Ensemble.”  For more, visit www.slayer.net.