On December 4th, 1980, the heart-wrenching announcement was made that Led Zeppelin were breaking up. The statement came in the form of a press release, about two months after the death of drummer John Bonham. It read:
"We wish it to be known, that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."
As hard as it was for the legions of fans around the World, it must've been devastating for Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. Here they were, one of the biggest bands in the business, selling out every venue they played, selling millions of albums but none of it would be possible without the driving force behind it all. Since 1980, the three surviving members have only performed under the name "Led Zeppelin" on three occasions. Live Aid-1985,with Phil Collins and the Power Station's Tony Thompson on drums. They reunited again in 1988 for the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert with Bonham's son, Jason. The latter would join them again, most recently, in 2007 as they conjured up the magic one more time for the Ahmet Ertegun tribute show held at London's 02 Arena.
That concert set a Guinness World Record for the "Highest Demand for Tickets for One Music Concert" as 20 million requests for the reunion show were rendered online. Below is a rare interview with Bonzo just two months BEFORE he passed away. That clip is followed by the three surviving members speaking with Charlie Rose in 2012 when they received the esteemed Kennedy Center Honors.
via ledzeppelin.com
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