Died On This Date (January 8, 1991) Steve Clark / Def Leppard
Steve Clark
April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991
Steve Clark is best remembered as a celebrated guitarist in Def Leppard, a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band that became one of the most popular groups of the 1980s. Clark was just 11 when he first picked up the guitar and within a few years he was emulating such guitar gods as Jimmy Page. He successfully auditioned for Def Leppard in 1978, and over the next decade helped the band achieve massive fame and fortune thanks to albums like High ‘n Dry, Hysteria, and Pyromania. Over the years, the band has sold in excess of 65 million albums worldwide. Unfortunately, Clark suffered from alcoholism, and in late 1990, he was put on a six-month leave from the band to hopefully clean up. On January 8, 1991 however, Steve Clark, age 30, was found dead on his couch of an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescribed pain medications and antidepressants.