John Bonham's Cause of Death Revisited: What Happened to Led Zeppelin Drummer 43 Years Ago?

Forty-three years ago, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was found dead - and the tragic event led to the band's unexpected disbandment.

The band's surviving members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones decided to call it quits after Bonham died on September 25, 1980. Although they continued making music, they did not officially reunite as a band again after losing the drummer.

"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were," the band shared at that time.

What Happened to John Bonham?

John Bonham's website revisited the drummer's last moments and how vodka ultimately killed him. According to reports, Led Zeppelin members were preparing before their scheduled North American tour only to find Bonham dead inside Page's residence the next afternoon.

Sound engineer Benji LeFevre and Jones discovered his body, leaving everyone in shock.

"It was like, 'Let's go up and look at Bonzo, see how he is,'" Jones said. "We tried to wake him up ... it was terrible. Then I had to tell the other two ... I had to break the news to Jimmy and Robert."

Authorities responded to the call and started their probe, ruling out any suspicious activities related to Bonham's death.

According to the inquest, the drummer died after inhaling vomit, or pulmonary aspiration, after drinking 40 measures of vodka in 12 hours. East Berkshire coroner Robert Wilson ruled his death accidental.

Meanwhile, Page told the court that Bonham was a little bit tipsy when they had rehearsals at a studio in Windsor. He and his assistant, Albert Hobbs, then put him to bed after dozing off on a sofa on the night of his death.

Hobbs also said Bonham was a heavy drinker who consumed vodka or brandy.

The drummer's website also cited the findings of the pathologist Dr. Edmund Hemstead, revealing that Bonham inhaled his own vomit and that he had 276 milligrams of alcohol per hundred milliliters of urine at the time of his death.

Dr. Hemstead also detected a trace of a tension-relieving drug from the musician's system.

"This indicated he inhaled the vomit but didn't die immediately as the result of that, and that he died some hours later due to the shocked state on inhaling vomit, during which time the alcohol in his blood would have broken down," he explained.