10 Rock Musicians Who Almost Died On Tour
9. Bill Berry - R.E.M.
R.E.M. never really struck anyone as the ones to wreak havoc while on tour. Aside from one diva moment from Peter Buck on an airplane, these are definitely not a bunch of guys who you'd expect to throw televisions out of their hotel windows or anything. No...the real danger in this case didn't even come from anyone in particular...just the lights.
After a career resurgence in the '90s off the strength of albums like Automatic for the People and Monster, R.E.M. took to the road delivering their college rock sound to the masses. Once they ducked into a gig in Switzerland though, things went haywire about midway through their set when drummer Bill Berry collapsed over his drum kit. As one of the lighting fixtures shined on the band, Berry had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm and was rushed to the hospital to undergo immediate surgery.
Though Berry was able to soldier on bravely enough for a few more years, this proved to be the first sign of his departure, as he would leave only 2 years later citing creative differences and lacking the drive that he had in their salad days. Whereas most people may have a drink or two before going onstage, no one would have figured that the actual machinery of the gig might have a hand in your demise.