How did Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham die?
“On 5 September 1980, Swan Song (Zeppelin’s music company) announced a US tour for October. Tickets sold like wildfire and expectations were high. But it was not to be. Ten days after the announcement of the North American tour dates, the band members gathered at Jimmy Page’s new mansion on the banks of the River Thames near Windsor for rehearsals. On 24 September, Bonham (or Bonzo as the band members called him) was chauffered to Page’s. He had reportedly quit doing heroin, but was taking an anti-anxiety medication called Motival. En route, he stopped at a pub and downed four quadruple vodkas. During the rehearsal, his drinking continued though this was not unusual for Bonham. Around midnight, he passed out on a sofa and was helped to a bedroom by Page’s assistant, Rick Hobbs. Hobbs left Bonham lying on his side, propped up with pillows, and turned out the lights. When Bonzo hadn’t appeared by the next afternoon, Robert Plant’s assistant, Benji LeFevre, went in to wake him and found h
On September 24, 1980, Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King from The Old Hyde to be at rehearsals at Bray Studios for the upcoming tour of the United States, the band’s first since 1977. During the journey Bonham had asked to stop for breakfast, where he downed four quadruple vodkas (roughly sixteen shots (~8dl) of vodka), with a ham roll. After taking a bite of the ham roll he said to his assistant ‘Breakfast.’ He then continued to drink when he arrived at the studio. A halt was called to the rehearsals late in the evening and the band retired to Page’s house — The Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. After midnight, Bonham had fallen asleep and was taken to bed on his side. It was rumored that he had a total of forty shots that night. Tour Manager (replacing Richard Cole, who was taking a break from tour managing to control his drug habits) Benji LeFevre and John Paul Jones found him dead the next morning. Bonham was just 32. The cause of death was asphyxiation cause
