“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, who was fatally shot during a performance, was a frenetic, ear-shattering guitarist whose riffs for the Grammy-nominated Pantera and more recently Damageplan were a heavy-metal staple. He was 38.

Abbott was shot to death as he took the stage Wednesday with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio.

Guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott, of the band Damageplan, performs Nov. 28 at the Rock Club in Pittsburgh. Abbott was killed Wednesday night when a man walked onstage in a crowded nightclub and opened fire on the band.

Three other people also were fatally shot before a police officer shot the gunman to death.

The deaths shook the heavy-metal music industry, and fans flooded Web sites to share their shock.

“I’m absolutely beside myself with grief. I can’t for the life of me understand why someone would do this,” said Ozzy Osbourne, who often toured with Pantera.

Mark Hunter, lead singer of the metal band Chimaira, said Abbott “changed the way metal music was written with his guitar playing. I don’t know anybody in a band who hasn’t stolen a few guitar riffs from him.”

A fan posting on the band’s Web site read, “This is the worst day in metal history.”

Pantera’s fast, aggressive sound attracted a massive cult following in the early 1990s, and its third release, “Far Beyond Driven,” debuted at No. 1 in 1994, surprising chart-watchers and critics alike. Other hit albums were “The Great Southern Trendkill” and “Reinventing The Steel,” and a song by the band became the Dallas Stars hockey team’s signature tune in 1999.

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“When you think of ’90s heavy metal or hard rock, Pantera is one of these seminal bands. They are quoted today as influences by many bands,” said Tom Calderone, MTV’s executive vice president. “Hard rock has lost a legendary guitar player.”