Original: Paul Dedrick Gray ( April 8 , 1972 -- May 24 , 2010 ) was an American musician , best known as the bassist , songwriter and one of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Slipknot .
Simplified: On May 24 , 2010 , The Des Moines Register reported that Gray had been found dead in a hotel room in the TownePalace Suites hotel in Urbandale , Iowa .