Slipknot bassist Paul Gray dead at 38

Paul Gray, bass guitarist with macabre heavy metal band Slipknot, has been found dead in an Iowa hotel room aged 38, US media reported Monday.

The musician's body was discovered by staff at a hotel in Johnston, near Des Moines by an employee, reports said citing local police. The cause of death has not been determined but foul play was not suspected.

Gray was one of the founders of the group, which was launched in Iowa in 1995 and has become famous for the menacing hockey masks band members wear. Gray famously wore a black pig mask on stage.

The band has enjoyed sustained success since their debut 1999 album, "Slipknot," which sold more than a million copies.

The band's fourth album - "All Hope Is Gone" - reached number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States and also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.

The band has been nominated for Grammys on seven occasions, winning in 2006 in the best metal performance category for "Before I Forget."