A couple of months ago, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was assaulted outside a Fort Lauderdale hotel. The drummer was attacked by a teenager who ran into Allen at full force, knocking him to the ground. This teenager then went on to cause trouble for a woman who attempted to help Allen and would later cause issues for folks at a restaurant.
While Allen did release a statement a few days after this incident took place, the drummer has recently sat down with the folks at Good Morning America and has provided more insight into what went down. Referring to the very beginning of this attack, Allen speaks to how quickly everything played out and how he was blindsided by the assault. Per the drummer:
“I heard a couple of steps and then I just saw this [flash] and the next thing I knew was I was on the ground. I landed on my backside… hit my head on the pavement.”
Allen tragically lost an arm in a car accident that took place in 1984, and afraid that this person would continue to attack him, he raised his arm and said to the teenager, “I am no threat to you.”
The drummer goes on to share: “I don’t think he knew who I was, but he must have seen that I wasn’t a threat because, you know, I’ve only got one arm.”
Sometime after the assault took place, Allen says he found himself in a state of feeling “grateful,” acknowledging the support system he has:
“I immediately just went to that place of just feeling grateful for the fact that I have an amazing wife and an incredible family and I just started thanking a higher power for the fact that I’m still here.”
Wrapping up his conversation with Good Morning America, Allen speaks to how thankful he is to be playing music and how driven he is to make people happy:
“I know that I’m not going to be playing music in a band forever. But while I am, I plan on making as many people happy as I possibly can. And this is my time. This is my opportunity.”
It’s heartbreaking that Allen had to go through such a horrible and triggering situation, but we are thankful to hear that he’s doing relatively well now and has such a great support system.
Def Leppard Drummer Rick Allen Assaulted Outside Hotel By Teenager
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