On September 24, 1980, John Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for a tour of North America. During the journey, Bonham asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodka-Screwdrivers. He then continued to drink heavily after arriving at rehearsals. The band stopped rehearsing late in the evening and then went to Jimmy Page's house, the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. After midnight on Thursday, September 25th, Bonham fell asleep; someone took him to bed and placed him on his side. Led Zeppelin tour manager Benji LeFevre and John Paul Jones found him unresponsive the next afternoon.
Bonham was later pronounced dead at 32 years old.
Bonham left behind a wife (Pat Phillips), and two children; Zoë Bonham (born June 10th, 1975), and Jason Bonham (born July 15th, 1966).
When Led Zeppelin reunited in 2007 at the O2 Arena in London Jason Bonham filled in for his father admirably on drums. Here, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page discuss Bonzo's legacy.