Seven Famous Alcohol Related Deaths – Alcohol Awareness Week 2010

Not the jolliest of topics but I reckon quite apt and interesting to think about during Alcohol Awareness Week. Quite a few of these deaths were due to choking on vomit. High amounts of Alcohol can suppress the gag reflex (as can other Depressant drugs at high doses) which makes it deadly if someone falls unconscious. This is why it is important to try not to leave people who are very drunk or at the very least leave them in the recovery position to minimise the risks of choking.

Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning

Jimi Hendrix aged 27

The man without whom my partner’s leg and my brother’s back would be very bare. Jimi  choked on his own vomit which apparently mainly consisted of red wine. He had also taken sedatives. Incidentally this is the picture we have up in our living room!

Bon Scott – Lead Singer AC/DC aged 33

His friend had left him to sleep it off in the back of his car and found him dead the next morning.  Death caused by ‘aspiration of vomit’ and ‘acute alcohol poisoning’.

John Bonham  – Drummer Led Zeppelin aged 32

According to good old Wikipedia…

…it emerged that in the 24 hours before he died, John Bonham had consumed forty shots of vodka which resulted in him vomiting and subsequent aspiration (inhaling) of his vomit, causing asphyxiation.

Keith Moon – Drummer The Who aged 32

Notorious for his Alcohol consumption he died after taking prescribed medication which he was given to alleviate Alcohol withdrawal. The combination of these with Alcohol lead to his death.

Rory Gallagher  – Blues Guitarist aged 47

My Dad’s hero and bloody brilliant. A combination of prescribed drugs and Alcohol lead to liver disease. After a liver transplant he contracted MRSA and died in hospital. I’m going to visit Rory Gallagher Corner when I’m in Dublin next month for the National Drugs Conference.

 

Steve Clark – Guitarist Def Leppard aged 30

Battled against Alcohol dependency and finally lost the war aged 30 after a combination of Alcohol, Anti-Depressants and painkillers.

Stuart Cable  – Former Drummer Stereophonics and Kerrang DJ aged 40

I’ve included him because the articles this week on how he died gave me the idea for this post. Not a huge Stereophonics fan but I enjoyed him as a DJ on Kerrang Radio and loved his Welsh accent. His girlfriend found him dead after a drinking binge. This week it was confirmed his death was caused by choking on his own vomit as a result of Alcohol poisoning.

All a waste.

See the Drinkaware website if you need any information about Alcohol and tips to manage use.

Drink safe rockers!

Stace x