SOCIETY 1 frontman Matt Zane has issued the following statement regarding the passing of legendary bassist Paul Raven (MINISTRY, PRONG, SOCIETY 1, KILLING JOKE, GODFLESH, MOB RESEARCH):

"Paul Raven was the most stand-up guy I ever had the pleasure to work with. The thing about Raven is that after working together he made an effort in the following years to stay in touch even if it was just to drop you a quick message to let you know he was keeping an eye on you. That was the coolest thing about him. He respected you and made it a point to let you know that.

"With everything he has done with his career he didn't have to stay in contact or even admit his involvement with me and my band but that's what separated him in my eyes from all the other musicians I've had dealings with over the years.

"I have the greatest respect for him. A great musician and a great person. I will truly miss him."

Paul Raven played bass on SOCIETY 1's "Exit through Fear" album and did a brief tour with the band in support of the CD.

Paul Raven was found dead yesterday (Saturday, October 20) in a private home in a small French village on the Swiss border after suffering an apparent heart attack. Raven was in Geneva working with French recording artists TREPONEM PAL on their new release alongside drummer Ted Parsons (PRONG) and members of THE YOUNG GODS.

Born in Wolverhampton, UK on January 16, 1961, Paul Vincent Raven established himself with his work in the seminal post-punk/industrial act KILLING JOKE after he replaced the band's original bassist in 1982, recording and touring with the group throughout its most commercially successful period, performing on "Fire Dances", "Night Time" and "Brighter than a Thousand Suns". Throughout his extensive career, Raven participated in other collaborations, including PRONG, MURDER, INC., PIGFACE and GODFLESH. Most recently, Raven was nominated for a 2006 Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" for his work with MINISTRY's Al Jourgensen, with whom he had begun collaborating in late 2005 on the MINISTRY release "Rio Grande Blood". After a 2006 world tour with the group, Raven helped Jourgensen and PRONG's Tommy Victor pen the latest MINISTRY CD, "The Last Sucker", which is also the band's final studio release.