3 Famous Rock Drummers Who Died Too Young

It’s easy to celebrate popular music. It’s one of the things that binds us together as a culture and community. Music is like an invisible hearth around which we can all gather. It’s wonderful. But the inexorable truth about modern popular music—from rock to rap to more—is that there is always tragedy connected to the triumphs. We wanted to dive into some of that dark history below. We wanted to highlight three of popular music’s greatest drummers. These are artists who wowed their fans but who also sadly passed away too soon. Indeed, these are three famous rock drummers who died too young.

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Keith Moon

Born on August 23, 1946, Keith Moon rose to fame as the wild man behind the drum kit for the British rock band the Who. People bought tickets to see the group back in their mid-20th-century heyday not only to witness the intense music, including songs like “My Generation”, but they also went to see the spectacle of the performers on stage. While the Who were known for smashing guitars on stage after the set, they were also known for Moon, who went mad every night on the kit. Sadly, the life of a rock star helped destroy him, as substance abuse caused him to die young. He passed away on September 7, 1978, at just 32 years old.

John Bonham

Like his rock drumming brother, John Bonham, who manned the kit for the iconic band Led Zeppelin, was one of the wildest drummers on and off the stage. He was like an octopus with eight arms and eight drumsticks up there behind the likes of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Bonham could go on 10-minute-long solos. He could inspire behind the cymbals and tom-toms. He was controlled chaos. Sadly, off the stage, he couldn’t control his own chaos or drug abuse. Bonham, who was born on May 31, 1948, died on September 25, 1980. He was also just 32 years old.

Taylor Hawkins

Born on February 17, 1972, Taylor Hawkins was the beloved drummer for legendary 90s bands like Alanis Morissette’s backing band and Foo Fighters. In fact, it was while on tour with the Foos that Hawkins died, overdosing on March 25, 2022. He was just 50 years old. In the wake of his passing, seemingly the entire music world stopped to pay tribute to Hawkins, throwing several shows in his honor with big names from Dave Grohl to Miley Cyrus. He is still missed today.

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