Dimebag's ex-girlfriend talks about a possible reunion
In an interview for the Talk Toomey podcast, Rita Haney, ex-girlfriend of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, revealed that a Pantera reunion could have happened if he were still alive.
“He had already spoken to Rex [Brown] on the phone on his birthday, August 20, 2004, and planned to talk to him again. So, yes, it definitely would have happened. Because I know that in his heart he was a Pantera and always would be. (…) That was always inside him and I know the things he felt when he came home. He felt there was something to prove. He didn't want to do those things with Pat Lachman [vocalist of Damageplan]. He was already causing problems. I have several voicemails I received from Darell saying 'I don't want to work with this guy anymore, I want to fire him but I don't want people to think it's difficult to work with us'. That's how he felt. So yes, I definitely believe they would have gone on stage together.”
When asked about the idea of a Pantera reunion with Zakk Wylde taking Dimebag's place, Rita says it's impossible to have a reunion without a band member: "you can't call that Pantera."