Remember When: Frank Zappa Almost Got His Life Zapped by a Jilted Boyfriend During a Performance

Plenty of jealous boyfriends have been peeved through the years when their girlfriends get into a major rock musician. Unfortunately for Frank Zappa, one particularly jilted boyfriend decided to get violent at one of his London shows on December 10, 1971.

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The Mothers Of Invention were performing at the Rainbow Theatre on that fateful night. Frank Zappa, ever the dynamic musician and singer, began to perform a unique cover of “I Want to Hold You Hand” by The Beatles. Beatelmania was more or less over by that point in history, but their songs still had the power to rile up a crowd of screaming fans.

Frank Zappa Was Injured and Almost Killed by a Jilted Boyfriend at One of His Shows

While in the middle of the song, one twenty-something young man named Trevor Howell parted the crowd like Moses and flew at the stage toward Zappa. Despite being a master of improv in his own right, Zappa wasn’t able to react right away. He was knocked off of the 15-foot stage and landed on the hard concrete below. He was knocked unconscious.

The fall was actually very serious. Nobody in the crowd knew what was happening other than Frank Zappa was pushed off a stage onto concrete and was not moving. Whispers of his death began to circulate. Even Zappa’s band thought he was dead.

“The band thought I was dead,” said Zappa in his autobiography. “My head was over on my shoulder, and my neck was bent like it was broken. I had a gash on my chin, a hole in the back of my head, a broken rib, and a fractured leg. One arm was paralyzed.”

His injuries were severe. They also included a crushed larynx, which would go on to affect his ability to sing for the rest of his life. However, things could have been much worse. It’s a miracle that Zappa survived after being taken to the hospital.

So, what became of Howell? He attempted to flee, but a group of fans caught him and held him backstage until the police showed up. He was subsequently charged with “assault with malicious intent to commit bodily harm”. His reason for the attack?

“I did it because my girlfriend said she loved Frank,” Howell said at his court date.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images

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