Over the past few days, many people have paid tribute to ex-Mastodon guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds following his tragic passing on Aug. 20 (in a motorcycle accident). In particular, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale recently reflected on his friendship with the late musician, and in doing so, he credited Hinds for stopping his Xanax exploration.
What Gavin Rossdale Said
Rossdale posted his tribute to Hinds yesterday (Aug. 23), calling Hinds’ death “terrible and useless” before diving into how he helped prevent Rossdale’s “self sabotage” regarding the drug.
Rossdale wrote:
We lost Brent .this is just terrible and useless . What a musician . And he was directly responsible for stopping me on a self sabotage back to the fatally dangerous world of Xanax when our paths crossed that i had already escaped . he spoke about its actual deadly effects.the slowing down of the body .the barely breathing . I will always be grateful for that advice . This life can be ended in a literal moment . I should have taken guitar lessons from Brent .
Many fans – including former Between the Buried and Me guitarist Dustie Waring – shared supportive remarks and emojis. For example, one user replied: “Losing someone whose wisdom touched your life in a profoundly positive way is devastating. Grief is not 7 linear stages. It’s cyclical and rears up when you least expect it. I’m so sorry for his passing and so sorry for the loss of your friend. May his memory be a blessing.”
A few people even commented on Rossdale’s earnest acknowledgement of his history with Xanax.
For instance, another person responded: “Thanks for the Xanax share, I had recently pondered it. I’m glad you sealed the deal to not bother. I’m sure he was an excellent guitarist may he RIP. Long live the arts! Long live rock and roll.” Likewise, someone else confessed: “Benzodiazepines are the devil. A doctor had me on a high dose for 12 years. During a doctor assisted taper I ended up having 2 strokes. The withdrawal off Benzos is the most inhumane withdrawal a person can experience.”
One Mastodon follower shared their personal connection to Hinds as well: “His sweet Mom, Dean, cut my hair for over 10 yrs. I went to school with Brent. What he did with his life was amazing! RIP Brent!”
You can see Rossdale’s post (including those replies and others) below:
READ MORE: Mastodon Pays Tribute to Brent Hinds at First Show Since His Death
Gavin Rossdale’s History With Xanax + Hinds
Rossdale’s recent post isn’t the first time he’s acknowledged both his prior struggles with Xanax and Hinds’ involvement in his recovery.
Specifically, Rossdale discussed those things on Steve-O’s podcast – Steve-O’s Wild Ride! – in June of 2023. In the episode (uploaded to YouTube on June 5, 2023), Rossdale admits:
I was addicted to Xanax for, like, four years or something like that when I was working a lot internationally. . . . I was like, “Oh, look, If I take this, I think I’m gonna sleep.” I’m going to go sleep for eight hours. . . . [It became] this habit, and suddenly, before I knew it, it was three or four years and I couldn’t even think of sleeping without Xanax. I then decided I should stop, so I just stopped and I did two weeks where every night, it was like I’d been in a shower [from sweating] and then I got into bed. . . . People told me after that it was super dangerous [to] . . . stop [Xanax] dead.
Further into their conversation, Steve-O asks Rossdale, “You’ve been able to not do Xanax since then?” Rossdale answers:
You know, I had the most moment and – you know, it’s a willful namedrop, ‘cause it’s fun for the program. I had an incredible moment – Mastodon is one of my favorite bands. I love that band, and we were playing Rock am Ring last year. . . . We were on the same stage . . . and I went to watch them. . . . They’re so heavy, and I didn’t know if they’d – you know, when you see heavy bands, you’re like, “Are they going to be friendly?”
He continues:
I went over to them and we took pictures with them. I’d just met Brent really quickly, and he asked me how I was doing. I’d been having trouble with my voice, and I wasn’t feeling good. I was like, “When I’m in Europe, fuck it. I’m just going to take the Xanax. I’m just going to go back to my Xanax, and I had my little pill bottle with me. I was like, “I’ll stop in a month, when I finish the tour. I just have to get through this tour with my voice.”
I was telling myself all the reasons why I should take the Xanax. . . . And I said to [Brent], “I’m doing alright” and I rattled this thing in my pocket. I said, “But I think that I shouldn’t probably do it, right? I think I’m gonna go back on this train.” He goes, “Don’t!” . . . I said to him, “Yeah, I don’t feel good with my voice and I don’t feel very healthy. I’m being an idiot but I really think I might spend the month doing shows and eating Xanax so I can get through this.”
He then went on to tell me his journey with it. How he was addicted to it for way longer, of course. Way heavier than me and way longer than me on Xanax and he was telling me about how, actually, it makes you – everything slows down to the point of close to death. All your organs. Everything. Completely. Everything slows down. I just hugged him and was like, “You just saved me because your wisdom and insight and experience have made me not do that.”
You can view the full clip below:
Gavin Rossdale Discusses Xanax + Brent Hinds on Steve-O’s Wild Ride! (June 5, 2023)
In a 2022 chat with Guitar World, Hinds reflected on his past with Xanax and anxiety:
So I’ve lived with anxiety for 20 years and I was hooked on [the anxiety Benzodiazepine] Xanax for 15 years and I had to wean myself off of it a little bit at a time ‘cause it was compromising my breathing. Of course, I was partying on it and it’s really bad to do that. I was never prescribed things so I was buying from people on the streets all the time. One time I couldn’t get it and I had two seizures. So, I finally weaned myself off. It took years, but recently I discovered that you need to be anxious and fucking deal with it and that keeps you on your toes and motivated to keep doing shit. Now I try to feed off the anxiety and play guitar.
Clearly, Hinds was extremely supportive of anyone else going through the same struggle(s).
More About Gavin Rossdale + Bush
Earlier this year, Loudwire included Bush (who hail from London) in our last of the ‘Big 4’ of Non-U.S. Grunge Bands (alongside Sweden’s Salt, Australia’s Silverchair and England’s Swervedriver).
Back in June, Rossdale joined Loudwire Nights to discuss Bush’s latest LP – I Beat Loneliness – which released last month. “I just want to make music that’s vital — and then the day it’s not vital, I don’t need to make it anymore,” he told host Chuck Armstrong. Beyond that, Rossdale talked about the difficulties of touring, his love of changing studio technology, his delayed interest in Black Sabbath and more!
More About Brent Hinds + Mastodon
As Loudwire reported last week, Brent Hinds “died on Wednesday (Aug. 20) in a motorcycle accident in the band’s hometown of Atlanta, Atlanta News First reports.” He was 51, and he was “riding his Harley Davidson when the driver of a BMW SUV failed to yield while making a turn, police said.”
The news is especially tragic given the unreconciled tension between Hinds and his former bandmates that’s come to light after Hinds’ departure from Mastodon in March of 2025.
At the time, the Atlanta group stated that they and Hinds “mutually decided to part ways,” and subsequently, Mastodon played with fill-in guitarist/YouTuber Ben Eller while Hinds continued working with other people on other projects. That said, Hinds repeatedly slammed his former bandmates, including calling them “horrible humans” and stating that vocalist/drummer Brann Dailor and vocalist/bassist Troy Sanders can’t sing.
Nevertheless, Mastodon have not only shared a heartfelt statement about Hinds’ death, but they also paid tribute to him during their show at the Alaska State Fair this past Friday (Aug. 22). “We lost somebody very special to us yesterday,” Dailor began, adding:
We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that’s gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight.
Several other rockers – such as Lamb of God’s Mark Morton, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, Slash and Alice in Chains’ William DuVall – have posted fond memories of Hinds as well.
21 Photos of Ex-Mastodon Guitarist Brent Hinds Through The Years
Former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds died Aug. 20, 2025 after he was reportedly involved in a motorcycle accident near his Atlanta home. Here is a look back at his life, both on and off the stage, through the years.
Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
Great Job Jordan Blum & the Team @ Loudwire Source link for sharing this story.
