As per Ultimateclassicrock.com, a sample taken from Bonham’s bladder showed an alcohol level of 276 milligrams per hundered milliliters.
Bonhams’s death was ruled accidental after it was determined that he choked to death. Pathologist Dr. Edmund Hemstead reportedly said, “This indicated he inhaled the vomit but didn’t die immediately as the result of that, and that he died some hours later due to the shocked state on inhaling vomit, during which time the alcohol in his blood would have broken down.”
Bonham, who tragically passed away on September 25, 1980, was a drumming innovator – not necessarily in terms of style or technique, but pure aggression. Before him, little to no drummers pounded away with as much vigor as he did.
Check out these 5 things you probably didn’t know about John Bonham from CBS Local.