DAMAGEPLAN's Bodyguard Laid To Rest: Video Tribute Available

December 17, 2004

Brett Shipp of WFAA-TV reports: A Dallas native who died in the brutal nightclub shootings in Columbus, Ohio last week was laid to rest in Arkansas on Thursday. [Watch Brett's video report at this location]

Jeff Thompson, lovingly referred to as "Mayhem", was by all accounts was a giant of a man and, above all else, a hero.

The gregarious and robust figure, a regular at Scarborough Fair, often played with the band THE ROGUES and out-muscled everyone during Scottish games. He was a fixture not only on the renaissance scene, but in Deep Ellum in Dallas where he partied, worked as a bouncer and made friends.

"He was the type of person, he had a place in his heart and his mind for every detail of every friend he ever had," said friend Stephen Van Hecke. "You don't find friends like that."

The "gentle giant" — who some said was six foot seven — was also a bodyguard for the Dallas band DAMAGEPLAN, and last week courageously put himself between the band, the fans and a gun.

"Before he left here he said, 'I would take a bullet for those guys,'" said Van Hecke. "He said that to me, he really did."

Sandy Hall is just one of hundreds in the Deep Ellum entertainment district who are not only shocked by his death, but moved to pay tribute. Up and down the street, clubs and restaurants are toasting his memory, sharing their own and chipping in to help pay for a funeral the family cannot afford.

"It's like losing a son and a brother and a father and a friend ... it's really, really hard," said Coyote Ugly manager Sandy Hall.

For those unable to verbally express their loss, this inscription of tribute seem to summarize the feelings of many: "May God bless you Mayhem, and may you protect us all from above as you did down here."

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).