Brent Hinds, the co-founder and former guitarist-vocalist of Grammy-winning metal band Mastodon, died late Wednesday in a motorcycle collision in Atlanta. He was 51. According to an Atlanta Police Department report, Hinds was riding a Harley-Davidson westbound on Boulevard SE at about 11:35 p.m. when a BMW SUV turned left across his path and failed to yield. Officers found Hinds unresponsive; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The SUV’s driver remained and the investigation is ongoing. Hinds helped form Mastodon in 2000 with bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor. The Atlanta-based group earned six Grammy nominations and won the 2017 award for best metal performance with “Sultan’s Curse” from the No. 1 rock album “Emperor of Sand.” Three of the band’s records reached the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, including “Once More ’Round the Sun” in 2014. The guitarist parted ways with Mastodon in March 2025 after 25 years, a split the band initially described as mutual. In a social-media statement confirming his death, the remaining members said they were “heartbroken, shocked and still trying to process the loss of this creative force,” and asked for privacy for Hinds’ family, friends and fans.