10 Music Moments That Shocked The World
3. Def Leppard's Drummer Losing His Arm (And Coming Back)
Def Leppard were under the gun in the mid-80's. After coming off of their pop-metal smash Pyromania, the band returned to the studio, anxious about the follow-up. After the recording cycle stalled for months, the band decided to take a break for the Christmas holiday.
On New Year's Eve 1984, drummer Rick Allen was driving through the countryside when he veered off the road in his sports car. When he came to, he was in hospital with a severed left arm. While initially reattached, Rick's left arm became infected and the doctor's permanently amputated the drummer's arm.
It looked like his playing days were over.
Amazingly, Rick returned to the studio and began building a new drum kit. This new kit would allow him to play his left handed beats with his left foot. Allen's hard work paid off when the album Hysteria was released, becoming the band's best-selling album ever.
Weeks after his accident, the band played a homecoming gig in Donington, where Rick was welcomed back by the crowd to rapturous applause.
As the band continues, Allen has become known to Def Leppard fans as "the Thunder God" because of his determination to beat the odds.