Dennis Mollan of Pro Tone Pedals has issued the following statement regarding the passing of legendary bassist Paul Raven (MINISTRY, PRONG, SOCIETY 1, KILLING JOKE, GODFLESH, MOB RESEARCH):

"When we heard the news of Paul Raven's passing this weekend, it was as if all of us had been kicked in the gut. I personally was not prepared for such overwhelming grief.

"Having worked closely with Paul on his signature stompbox over the last year and a half, we cannot begin to express our profound sadness. We grew a bond based in creativity but grounded in the business world, and watching Raven weave the two was a pure joy.

"As many have said over the weekend, he was one of the good ones. A rock 'n' roll pirate, a freedom fighter, a creative spirit that will not be stopped.

"We send our best wishes to Paul's friends, family, and most importantly to his children."

Paul Raven was found dead on 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.