Jeff Hanneman, fellow axe-wielder to Kerry King in Thrash legends Slayer has been forced to step down from guitar duties for an unknown period of time due to contracting a very serious skin disease called necrotizing fasciitis in his arm. It is a rare disease which destroys skin, fat and tissue from below the surface of the body. He is believed to have caught the disease from a spider bite and will undergo surgery on his right arm shortly. On the brink of touring (which includes a date at the UK’s Sonisphere festival in Knebworth Park), the band issued a statement saying that Jeff Hanneman “is totally on board with the decision, so we will tour as planned. We can’t pinpoint what day he’ll be back, but it will be as soon as he possibly can. We can’t wait for him to get better and get his ass back on the road.” A replacement will be announced in the next few days.
