On the morning of January 8, 1991, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen received the devastating news he had been
fearing for years. His best friend and bandmate, Steve Clark, had passed away in his sleep on a couch at the age of
30.
An autopsy later revealed that Clark had died from an accidental overdose, a combination of alcohol, Valium, and
Codeine. In his memoir Adrenalized, Collen explained that Clark had been drinking despite having a rib injury,
which his doctor had warned him could worsen if combined with pain medication. The official cause of death, as
reported by the coroner, was swelling of the brain.
Clark had joined Def Leppard in 1978, just a year after the band’s formation, and was a key figure in shaping the
band’s sound, contributing to major albums like Pyromania (1983) and Hysteria (1987). Throughout his career,
Clark celebrated the band’s success, often indulging in the perks that came with it, particularly alcohol. During the
Pyromania era, Clark and Collen became notorious as “the terror twins,” known for their drunken escapades and
pranks on fellow musicians. But their bond went beyond the partying—Collen noted in his book that they shared
deep, meaningful conversations and a thirst for cultural experiences.
However, as the band’s success grew, so did Clark’s personal struggles with alcohol. By the late 1980s, Collen realized
Clark’s drinking had spiraled out of control. Clark, once a functioning alcoholic, began exhibiting erratic behavior.
Every morning he would wake up shaking, needing alcohol to stop the tremors. On one occasion, he even ended up
in a Paris hospital with alcohol poisoning. In late 1989, the band received alarming news that Clark had been found
unconscious in a Minneapolis bar, his blood alcohol level dangerously high at 0.59—well above the 0.41 level that
caused the death of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham.
Following this incident, Clark checked into rehab at Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center. Def Leppard gave him a
six-month leave of absence, assuring him that his place in the band would remain. During his time in rehab, Clark
formed a relationship with a fellow patient, Janie Dean, who was battling a heroin addiction. They eventually fell in
love and got engaged, but their shared struggles with addiction led to a downward spiral. Clark’s drinking worsened,
and soon after, he died.
Collen admitted in his book that it became nearly impossible to track Clark’s whereabouts or keep him from spiraling
further. Despite efforts to help, Clark’s refusal to stay sober, combined with his easy access to drugs and alcohol,
made his tragic end seem almost inevitable.
Clark’s death was a devastating blow to Def Leppard, who had already been through immense hardship when
drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident. Grieving and angry, Collen considered leaving the band, but
singer Joe Elliott convinced him that Clark, who had felt ashamed of his addiction, wouldn’t have wanted the band to
break up over his death. Collen chose to honor his friend by throwing himself back into the band’s music and
continuing to play, a decision that helped him cope with the loss.
In 1992, former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell stepped in to fill Clark’s position, and he remains with the band to this
day. The legacy of Steve Clark continues to loom large over Def Leppard’s history, as his contributions to their iconic
sound and his friendship with the band are remembered by fans and bandmates alike.
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