Died On This Date (September 7, 1978) Keith Moon / The Who
themusicsover Keith Moon
August 23, 1946 – September 7, 1978
Keith Moon was one of rock’s greatest drummers. Playing behind the Who, Moon’s sloppy yet spectacular playing fueled some of the greatest songs in rock history. Moon began playing the drums at the age of 12, and at 16 he was asked to join the Who after Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle witnessed him nearly destroy his drum kit at the audition. That lead to the band doing the same to their instruments at the end of their early shows, a practice that has been imitated by rock bands ever since. Moon was also just as destructive off stage as many a hotel manager can attest to. Legend has it that he was banned for life from Holiday Inn, Sheraton and Hilton Hotel chains. Keith Moon died of an accidental overdose on September 7, 1978, just two weeks after the release of the classic Who Are You album. The drug he overdosed on was prescribed to help him in his battle against alcoholism. He died in a flat owned by Harry Nilsson. Mama Cass Elliot died in the same room of that flat four years earlier.
What You Should Own
Chris Dudek, who went by the stage name, Witchhunter was the original drummer for German thrash metal band, Sodom. Formed in 1982, the band would become a major influence on the black metal scene of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Influenced by such bands as Motorhead, Venom, and Accept, Sodom recorded a couple of demos that eventually got them signed to Steamhammer Records. Dudek played in the band until 1992 but reunited to guest with the band on their 2008 release, The Final Sign Of Evil. Apparently suffering for many years with alcohol and drug abuse, Chris Dudek died of liver failure on September 7, 2008.
Kyle Woodring was a concert and studio drummer who has been playing since he was four years old. In the late ’80s, Woodring began drumming for Survivor, playing on their 1988 hit, “Didn’t Know It Was Love.” In later years, he played or toured with John Mellencamp, Deana Carter and for one-time Styx lead singer, Dennis DeYoung. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Luciano Pavarotti was an immensely popular operatic singer who successfully crossed over to pop music during the 1990s. In the early part of the decade, he joined Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras to perform and record as The Three Tenors. Their album together went on to become the biggest selling classical album in history. Over the years he has sung with such pop acts as U2, Vanessa Williams and Mercedes Sosa. He is the only opera singer to ever perform on Saturday Night Live. Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer while in the midst of his “farewell tour” of 2006. He died of the disease on September 6, 2007.