76-Year-Old Rock Legend Opens Up About His Biggest Fear While Still Touring: “You Never Know When Something Bad Might Happen”

While still touring and performing, Carl Palmer built a lifelong career in the music industry thanks to forming groups like Asia, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Atomic Rooster. The drummer also lent his talents to The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Besides being a famed musician, Palmer was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in the late 1980s. Although loving every second on stage, Palmer admitted that he often worries he will pass away while on the road. 

Discussing his life, career, and current schedule with Music Radar, Palmer shared one of his biggest fears. At 76, the drummer pondered the question of mortality. Knowing that he would eventually pass away, he only had one request. “I don’t want to die in some cheap hotel, you know? And sometimes I don’t always stay in the best hotels. That’s all I’m worried about.”

Although an odd worry to have, Palmer wanted his final moments to be surrounded by luxury. If he had to die in a hotel, he insisted, “It’s fine as long as it’s a Hilton or a Four Seasons, but if it’s one of those dodgy hotels, don’t tell anyone. That’s all I’m saying.” And the reason for Palmer wanting to keep it a secret – “Because it will be on the obituary, won’t it? ‘He was found in a cheap hotel that was about to close down, and he had a cheap rate on the room.’ You don’t need that.”

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Carl Palmer Already Knows His Final Resting Spot

Palmer wasn’t the only one worried about his health. His wife apparently wanted to accompany him on the road to be at his side. “My wife says to me now, ‘I might have to come out on tour with you more to make sure everything’s okay.’ You know, when you’re 76 you never know when something bad might happen.”

Not trying to run from the inevitable, Palmer only wanted to end his time in the spotlight on his own terms. But no matter if he did pass away in a cheap motel or on the road, he found peace in knowing his final resting spot. “I even know where I’m going to be buried. It’s not a graveyard. It’s a kind of nature reserve.”

For somebody who spent decades traveling the world, Palmer apparently had standards for his final checkout. And a Hilton or Four Seasons would do just fine. 

(Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)