Robert Plant discussed how the death of his young son affected his commitment to Led Zeppelin in an interview with The Times.
Plant was asked about the group’s early years and the circumstances that shaped the band’s history, including personal tragedy and the demands of touring.
“Well, there was no map, no instructions to Led Zeppelin, and we just carried on,” Plant said. “But I didn’t need the group after losing my boy.”
Plant explained how the lifestyle of touring wore on him during difficult times. “These musical romances are great when everything is great. When things go left of center, who wants to sit backstage for hours and hours with people you’ve been stuck with since 1968? You’re not playing cards, you’re not going to the movies, you’re just waiting. I was always looking to get away.”
Plant then addressed drummer John Bonham’s role in the band’s eventual split. “John was a sensitive, big-hearted guy who got overwhelmed by the boredom of the moving monolith. He was torn between missing his family and being the classiest drummer from any rock band. He couldn’t leave it behind.”
Plant’s comments came as he reflected on the major events that shaped Led Zeppelin’s career and his life during his years with the band.
Plant lost his five-year-old son Karac to a stomach virus on July 26, 1977. He was on tour with Zeppelin in the United States when his son fell ill, and rushed back to England to be with Karac and his then-wife Maureen. The 1977 North American Tour, which was the eleventh and final concert tour of North America by the band, was cut short as a result.
After Karac’s death, Plant received strong support from Bonham but struggled as media coverage made the tragedy even harder to bear. He applied for a position at a Rudolph Steiner training college in Sussex as he reassessed his priorities. Plant had become far less focused on music and seriously considered leaving the industry altogether, but reconnected with his work for the band through his friendship with Bonham and the encouragement of guitarist Jimmy Page.
Plant later wrote Led Zeppelin’s song “All My Love” in honor of his late son, which appeared on the band’s 1979 album In Through The Out Door. The loss also inspired other compositions, including “Blue Train” from Page and Plant’s 1998 collaboration Walking Into Clarksdale, and “I Believe” from Plant’s 1993 solo record Fate of Nations. On September 25, 1980, Bonham died, and Led Zeppelin made the difficult decision to break up on December 4, 1980.
