John Bonham

AKA:

Bonzo

Birth Name:

John Henry Bonham

Birth Date:

May 31, 1948

Birth Place:

Redditch, England

Death Date:

September 25, 1980

Place of Death:

The Old Mill House, Clewer, England

Age:

Cause of Death:

Pulmonary aspiration (choked on his own vomit)

Cemetery Name:

St. Michael and All Angels Church Rushock

Claim to Fame:

Music

John Bonham was and remains the greatest, most influential Rock Drummer of all-time and best known as the drummer for Led Zeppelin. Describing the style of John Bonham's drumming instantly conjurs up visions of the thunderous power he created. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for the groove, his contributions to rock music were revolutionary, and his talent unmatched and irreplaceable. So it came as no surprise that when he passed away suddenly, Led Zeppelin disbanded. In 1995 he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Led Zeppelin. In 2016, Rolling Stone ranked him first in its list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time".

In the End …

On September 24, 1980 Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for a tour of North America, to begin October 17th in Montreal, Canada; it was the band’s first tour since 1977. During the journey, Bonham asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodka screwdrivers (16 shots between 400 and 560 ml). He then continued to drink heavily after arriving at rehearsals. The band stopped rehearsing late in the evening and then went to Page’s house, the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. After midnight on September 25th, Bonham fell asleep; Rex King and Jimmy Page’s assistant Albert Hobbs took him to bed and placed him on his side. Led Zeppelin tour manager Benji LeFevre and bassist John Paul Jones found him unresponsive the next afternoon. Bonham was later pronounced dead at 32 years old.

The inquest on October 27, 1980 showed that in 24 hours, Bonham had consumed around 40 shots (1–1.4 litres) of 40% ABV vodka, after which he vomited and choked (a condition known as pulmonary aspiration). The finding was accidental death. A post-mortem found no other recreational drugs in Bonham’s body.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

St. Michael and All Angels Church Rushock

Church Hill

Droitwich, , WR9 0NP

United Kingdom

Europe

Grave Location:

Churchyard

Grave Location Description

As you face the church tower, walk around to the left and 50 feet to your left, under a tree, you will find the well-adorned final resting place of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest drummer – John Bonham. Take note that his funeral took place in this very church.