Brent Hinds performing with Mastodon at Mystic Festival in Gdansk, Poland in 2022 According to a report from Atlanta News First, Brent Hinds was killed in an accident on August 20 in a crash while riding a Harley Davidson when the driver of a BMW SUV failed to yield while making a turn at an intersection in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 51 years of age. He was best known as the co-founder and former lead guitarist of the Atlanta-based band Mastodon, which he formed in 2000 alongside bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher, and drummer Brann Dailor. In March, Billboard reported that the band had “mutually decided to part ways” with Hinds, though Hinds stated he was kicked out. Brent Hinds, born William Brent Hinds on January 16, 1974, in Helena, Alabama, began his musical journey playing the banjo. That early training left a permanent mark on his guitar style, giving him the unique hybrid picking and fast, fluid runs that later became his signature.
