The co-founder and former lead guitarist of the Atlanta-based heavy metal band Mastodon died in a motorcycle crash Wednesday night, officials said.

William Brent Hinds, 51, was killed in a wreck at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Boulevard. Trevor Shelley de Brauw, Mastodon’s publicist, confirmed Hinds’ death to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hinds was riding a Harley-Davidson when a woman driving a BMW SUV failed to yield while turning left and crashed into him, the Atlanta Police Department’s preliminary investigation revealed. Medical personnel pronounced Hinds dead on the scene. Police have not confirmed the identity of the BMW driver.

Mastodon issued a statement on its Facebook page , which has 1 million followers.

“We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief …

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