September 7, 1978 – The Who drummer Keith Moon died from an overdose of Heminevrin

SEPTEMBER 7, 1978 – The Who drummer KEITH MOON (b. August 23, 1947 in Wembley, England) died from an overdose of Heminevrin (a drug intended to curb alcohol abuse) in a flat owned by songwriter Harry Nilsson, the same room where former Mamas & The Papas singer “Mama” Cass Elliott died four years earlier in Curzon Place in London’s Mayfair.

Police determined that there were 32 clomethiazole pills (trade name Heminevrin) in Moon’s system. Six were digested, sufficient to cause his death; the other 26 were undigested when he died. Max Glatt, an authority on alcoholism, wrote in The Sunday Times that Moon should never have been given the drug. Moon was cremated on September 13, 1978 at Golders Green Crematorium in London, and his ashes were scattered in its Gardens of Remembrance. Moon’s death came shortly after the release of “Who Are You”. On the album cover, he is straddling a chair (to hide his weight gain) with the words “Not to be taken away” printed on the back of the chair.

The band, who soldiered on following Moon’s death until 1982 and has since reunited, is releasing a deluxe version of its rock opera Tommy, which came out in 2013. The reissue contains a new mix of the album, Pete Townshend’s demos and previously unreleased live recordings from the tour supporting the 1969 album.
The “New Book of Rock Lists” ranked Moon #1 on its list of 50 Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Drummers, and he was ranked #2 on the 2011 Rolling Stone Best Drummers of All Time readers’ poll