The surviving members of the metal band Slayer said that the guitarist Jeff Hanneman had died of alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver, not from an infection of flesh-eating bacteria.
When Mr. Hanneman died last week at a hospital in Hemet, Calif., there were unconfirmed reports that his death had something to do with a horrific case of flesh-eating bacteria that developed in his right arm in 2011 after he was bitten by a spider. The surgery to stop the infection â€" necrotizing fasciitis â€" had nearly cost him his arm, threatening his livelihood.
That seemed to some fans an appropriately ghoulish death at age 49 for a man who wrote songs about torture, Nazi concentration camps, terrorist acts and the horrors of war.
But it was not true, it turns out: The band posted a notice on its Web site on Thursday saying that Mr. Hanneman’s liver had given out because of drink.
“We’ve just learned that the official cause of Jeff’s death was alcohol related cirrhosis,†the posting said. “While he had his health struggles over the years, including the recent necrotizing fasciitis infection that devastated his well-being, Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life.â€
The remaining band members â€" the front-man and bassist Tom Araya, the guitarist Kerry King and the drummer Dave Lombardo â€" also said they planned a public celebration of Mr. Hanneman’s life later this month, though they gave no details.
