It’s been 45 years since the original members of Led Zeppelin last shared the stage. Just months after their final performance, the legendary rock band disbanded — and never reunited as a full lineup again.
Their last show together wasn’t meant to be a farewell. On July 7, 1980, Led Zeppelin played the Seattle Coliseum as part of their North American tour promoting In Through the Out Door.
Fans had no idea it would be the final time they’d see Robert Plant,Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham perform together.
The band had additional shows planned for later that year, but they were ultimately canceled after the sudden and tragic loss of their drummer.
On September 25, 1980, Bonham was found unconscious at Page’s home and later pronounced dead at just 32 years old. The legendary drummer had reportedly spent the night before heavily partying, with some accounts claiming he drank around 40 shots of vodka.
When Bonham didn’t show up to a scheduled rehearsal, tour manager Benji LeFevre and bassist Jones went to check on him. It was later ruled that he had died of accidental asphyxiation after choking on his own vomit.
“It was like, ‘Let’s go up and look at Bonzo, see how he is,’” Jones recalled, according to Loudwire. “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 [Plant].”
After Bonham’s passing, the remaining band members agreed they couldn’t continue without him. “When we lost John, we agreed unanimously that that was that,” Plant said to Creem in 1993.
Reflecting on the loss, Plant explained, “I had to go and find out if I really want to do it. Did I want to do it, or did I just want to sit back there like a croupier at a gambling thing, and just kind of rake [the money] in. Or, did I want to actually continue this kind of gig of finding out where I’m going. I wanted to take all the trappings away, because I’d lost my best mate.”
Led Zeppelin officially disbanded in December 1980. While the surviving members would reunite for one-off performances, like Live Aid and other tribute concerts, the original lineup was never seen on stage again.
