D. H. Peligro obit

Dead Kennedys Drummer D. H. Peligro Dead At 63

 

He was not on the list.

Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro died in his Los Angeles home yesterday. The news was confirmed by Dead Kennedys’ official Instagram account, which said in a statement that Peligro had died “from trauma to the head caused by an accidental fall.” He was 63.

The full statement is below:

Dead Kennedys’ drummer D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley) passed away in his Los Angeles home yesterday, October 28th. Police on the scene stated that he died from trauma to the head caused by an accidental fall. Arrangements are pending and will be announced in the coming days. We ask that you respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time. Thank you for your thoughts and words of comfort.

Born Darren Henley in 1959, Peligro was originally from St. Louis and joined the Dead Kennedys in 1981, replacing the punk band’s original drummer, Ted (Bruce Slesinger). Peligro’s debut with the band was on their 1981 EP In God We Trust, Inc.. He performed with the Dead Kennedys until they broke up in 1986 but reunited with them in 2001 minus Jello Biafra. He took another hiatus from the band in 2008 but came back a year later.

Over the years, Peligro also performed with Red Hot Chili Peppers (replacing drummer Jack Irons in 1988) but was ultimately fired due to his struggles with addiction at the time. He was replaced with current drummer Chad Smith. Peligro also played with the Hellations, Jungle Studs, Nailbomb, the Feederz, Lock-Up, the Two Free Stooges, and SSI. Peligro also fronted his own project, Peligro, which released three albums between 1995 and 2001.

In 1988, Peligro joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers replacing drummer Irons. Guitarist Hillel Slovak had recently died of a heroin overdose and was replaced by guitarist DeWayne McKnight. Peligro had been friends with the band for years and had played in a comedy band called Three Little Butt Hairs with singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea. McKnight was fired three shows into their tour in September 1988 and was replaced by John Frusciante. Peligro would last a bit longer than McKnight, helping to write some songs on the band's fourth album, Mother's Milk, which was released the following year, although Peligro did not perform on the album. Due to his ongoing drug and alcohol issues, the band decided to fire Peligro in November 1988. Peligro didn't handle his firing well. Flea said that he stayed in bed for days after making the decision to fire Peligro. Years later, Kiedis said firing Peligro was one of the toughest things the band ever had to do, although Kiedis became a major part of Peligro's road to sobriety, which began after he was fired. Chad Smith replaced Peligro a few weeks later and has been with the band ever since.

Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012. Peligro was not inducted with them.

Peligro also played briefly with The Hellations, Jungle Studs, Nailbomb, The Feederz, Lock-Up, The Two Free Stooges and SSI. Peligro was the frontman for his band called Peligro (Spanish for "Danger") and has released three albums: Peligro (released in 1995 on Biafra's Alternative Tentacles record label, but deleted from the catalog in 2001), Welcome to America and Sum of Our Surroundings, which won Rock Album of the Year from the American Independent Music Awards. Peligro's sound is known to be an eclectic combination of punk, reggae, funk and heavy metal. D. H. Peligro has also fronted the bands Reverend Jones and the Cool Aid Choir and Al Sharpton's Hair and the Hellions. He appears as an interview subject in the 2003 documentary Afro-Punk. In 2020, Peligro recorded the song Power is taken with Moby, which was also included in the Album All visible Objects.