Keith Moon was best known as the drummer for the legendary band The Who. Recognized for his musical talents while still in elementary school, he is now considered one of the greatest drummers ever. His life of partying and living on the edge eventually took its toll on Keith. He died tragically from a drug overdose at the young age of thirty-two.

Keith Moon was born on August 23, 1946, in London, England. As a child, Keith was uninterested in school, and music was the only thing that could hold his attention. His teachers recognized and praised his musical talents, but Keith lacked skills in most other academic subjects. He left school in 1961.

After gaining drumming experience with the local Sea Cadet Corps and several small bands, Keith replaced Doug Sandom as the drummer for The Who. He was seventeen at the time. The band also included Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle. Moon would stay with the group until his death, and their unique blend of showmanship and powerful lyrics allowed them to become one of the biggest rock bands of all time. In addition to Keith’s obvious musical talents, his on-stage antics soon earned him the nickname Moon the Loon. He was fond of smashing his own equipment at the end of shows. During a television appearance, he detonated explosives which he had loaded into one of his drums, and another appearance saw him using his drums as goldfish tanks.

Keith’s over-the-top personality earned him a reputation off stage as well. Rumors abound that Keith was extremely destructive, destroying hotel rooms and even his own home. Another famous story about Keith is that he drove a car into a swimming pool. Whether the car was a Rolls Royce or a Lincoln Continental, and whether the incident actually took place are still points of contention. Although those closest to Moon admit that drugs and alcohol influenced some of these events, they say that Keith was naturally wild and crazy.

Although Keith spent most of his musical career working with The Who, he also worked on several outside projects with high profile entertainers. In 1966, he worked with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones to record the instrumental Beck’s Bolero. He worked with Ringo Starr and Jim Keltner to release his solo album Two Sides of the Moon, and also appeared in several films during the 1970’s, including 200 Motels and That’ll be the Day.

Keith died on September 7, 1978. On the night of his death, he and his girlfriend at the time, Annette Walter-Lax, had eaten with Linda and Paul McCartney. After the couple returned to their flat, Keith died as a result of a Clomethiazole overdose. Ironically, he had been taking the pills in an attempt to fight his addiction to alcohol. An investigation revealed that Moon had consumed over thirty of the prescription pills.

After Moon’s death, The Who replaced Keith with drummer Kenney Jones. Interest in the group’s most well-known drummer persists, however. He has a bar named after him, and a biography about his life was written by Tony Fletcher. See Me Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure, a film telling the story of Keith’s life, is set for release some time in 2009. The role of Keith Moon will be played by Mike Myers.

Kim Kerrigan was Keith’s first and only wife. They married in March of 1966, when Kim was five months pregnant. Their daughter Amanda was born four months later. The couple would divorce in 1975, after Kerrigan and Amanda left Moon in 1973.

YUDDY