On August 14, 2002, DROWNING POOL lost vocalist Dave Williams at age 30. He was found unresponsive on the band's tour bus in Manassas, Virginia, during that year's Ozzfest run; the cause was later confirmed as heart failure from an undiagnosed case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hidden condition that gave no warning signs. Williams had fronted DROWNING POOL through their breakout debut Sinner, whose single "Bodies" became one of nu-metal's defining anthems and pushed the Dallas band into constant radio and MTV rotation. His death arrived just as the band's momentum was peaking, and for a moment DROWNING POOL considered ending things entirely before deciding to carry on with a new singer. More than two decades later, "Bodies" still detonates mosh pits at festivals worldwide, and Williams is remembered as one of the genre's most talented, most missed frontmen — gone far too soon.
