Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle, (far left in photo), was killed on Dec. 8, 1984 in a tragic car accident. Razzle, born Nicholas Dingley, was a passenger in a car driven by Motley Crue's Vince Neil.
“HE DID WHAT???”
These words (or others along these lines) have frequently echoed across the annals of rock and roll history, but rarely louder than on the occasion when heavy metal wildman, Ozzy Osbourne, decided that jumping behind the wheel of an all-terrain-vehicle seemed like a good idea.
John Lennon would have turned 73 this past October, but as we all know, his life was tragically cut short by four bullets from an assassin's gun. John Lennon died 33 years ago today.
The pages of rock history are full of nasty band breakups, and the Eagles' -- whose 1980 split included the infamous concert during which Don Felder and Glenn Frey agreed to meet backstage for a beatdown -- was acrimonious enough that few fans expected to ever see a reunion. But on Dec. 6, 1993, hell started freezing over, all thanks to country superstar Travis Tritt.
The Rolling Stones and controversy go together like fish and chips. In 1968, one of their best-known controversies kept their classic album 'Beggars Banquet' album off shelves for nearly six months in a protracted dispute over the legendary "toilet cover."
On Dec. 4, 1971, the small town of Montreux, Switzerland, became a place forever linked to rock history. A fire at the Montreux Casino during a concert by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention inspired Deep Purple's classic 'Smoke on the Water.'
We've seen everything from Elvis Presley Christmas ornaments to commemorative Barbie dolls in the 36 years since the icon's death. But in late 1968, Presley's career was in decline after several years of corny movies and a slow drift from his rock 'n' roll roots.
Whether it was an epic publicity stunt or a genuine mishap remains a topic of debate in some circles. Either way, the cover shoot for 1977's 'Animals' remains one of Pink Floyd's signature moments.
Keith Richards has played thousands of shows during his career, both with and without the Rolling Stones, but the one he later referred to as his "most spectacular" took place in Sacramento on Dec. 3, 1965.
