Following last week's tragic passing of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman on May 2, his official cause of death has been revealed to be alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver, according to a statement from the band. In the same press release, Slayer also announced that a public memorial will be held to honor Hanneman at a yet-to-be-revealed date.

While it has been known that Hanneman was battling the disease necrotizing fasciitis, which he likely contracted from a 2011 spider bite, the band has revealed that the guitarist's struggles with alcohol addiction is what ultimately led to his passing.

The post on Slayer's official website reads as follows:

We've just learned that the official cause of Jeff's death was alcohol related cirrhosis. While he had his health struggles over the years, including the recent Necrotizing fasciitis infection that devastated his well-being, Jeff and those close to him were not aware of the true extent of his liver condition until the last days of his life. Contrary to some reports, Jeff was not on a transplant list at the time of his passing, or at any time prior to that. In fact, by all accounts, it appeared that he had been improving – he was excited and looking forward to working on a new record.

As mentioned, the band also announced that a public memorial will be held to honor Hanneman, who was a legendary figure in the heavy metal world. Here is the description of the upcoming event:

While the details are being worked out now, Slayer wants its fans to know that there will be a celebration of Jeff Hanneman's life sometime later this month, along with Jeff's family and friends, the public will be invited to attend. More information will be posted here soon.

Finally, the band released statements from guitarist Kerry King and singer-bassist Tom Araya, who for the most part had remained silent on Hanneman's death until now: