Fans of heavy metal band Slipknot were mourning bassist Paul Gray, who was found dead in a hotel room.

A hotel employee found 38-year-old Gray in a room at the Town Plaza Hotel in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, yesterday, police said.

Most of the band's members grew up in the Des Moines area.

Police said foul play was not suspected and a post-mortem examination will be carried out today.

A person who answered the phone at the band's record company, Roadrunner Records, declined to comment.

Slipknot's self-titled debut in 1999 sold more than a million copies.

Known for its grotesque masks, the band won a Grammy in 2006 for best metal performance for the song Before I Forget.

Concert industry trade publication Pollstar ranked Slipknot 18th in its Top 20 Concert Tours list last year.

Andy Hall, music director of Des Moines rock station Lazer 103.3, said he had known Gray for 10 years. He described him as a talented bass player who was also one of the friendliest, most caring people he knew.

"This is a big blow, not only to the community of Des Moines but fans of metal at large, worldwide," he said.

"It's a devastating loss. Paul was a wonderful human being."