Claude "Butch" Trucks, the drummer of the legendary Southern rock group the Allman Brothers Band, died on Wednesday (Jan. 25) at 69. Today, his death has been ruled a suicide, according to police reports. He shot himself in the head with a pistol in his condo in West Palm Beach, FL, reports the Miami Herald. His wife of 25 years was reportedly in the room when he pulled the trigger.
Trucks' wife, Melinda Trucks, was hysterical when she called police after watching her husband shoot himself. She said that he was still breathing while on the line with the dispatcher. Melinda and Butch's adult son, Vaylor, were waiting in the hallway outside of the condo when police arrived. Trucks reportedly stopped breathing almost immediately after police reached him. The dispatcher soon ended the call upon recording a "Signal 7," meaning someone has died.
The incident is still under investigation, though The West Palm Beach Police Department told Fox News that "foul play is not suspected." An autopsy was conducted on Wednesday, though the results will not be available "for weeks."
Trucks was one of six original members of the Allman Brothers, and he remained with the band for much of its existence, including its latest active stint, which stretched from 1989 to 2014. He is survived by his wife, four children, and four grandchildren.
