D.H. Peligro, Drummer for the Dead Kennedys, Dies After Fall

D.H. Peligro, the longtime drummer for iconic punk band the Dead Kennedys, died after hitting his head during a fall at his Los Angeles home, the group announced on Instagram. He was 63.

“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,” the announcement said.

Peligro, whose real name was Darren Henley, joined the Dead Kennedys in 1981, then played briefly with the Red Hot Chili Peppers after the band broke up. When the DKs got back together in 2001, he rejoined them.

Peligro grew up in St. Louis, traveling to San Francisco as a teenager, where he played for local punk bands, including one that occasionally opened for the Dead Kennedys, he told LA Weekly in 2018.

He told the magazine he “was working at a gay bondage hotel” when he learned the band was looking for a new drummer.

“The drummer had left and I was willing, so I auditioned. The rest is history,” he said.

After the announcement, tributes from across the music world began pouring in on social media. Among them was Porno for Pyros cofounder Martyn Lenoble, who wrote: “Thank you for everything brother. We had some great times together. And we shared some of the same struggles. He was a wild man. With big energy and a big heart.”

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