He had decided to stay away that night, content to remain in the flat with Annette, not taking any risks. So what happened in those final 24 hours that made him change his mind and attend the party? What event finally broke his resolve? When Annette tried to wake him in the late morning on September 7, 1978 he was completely unresponsive, not breathing. At the time of his death he had cocaine and alcohol in his system, in his stomach were 26 as yet undigested Heminevrin tablets. His death was ruled an overdose from the six or more tablets that he had digested.
Keith Moon: His Final Hours features interviews with close friends like Alice Cooper, Kenney Jones, Annette Walter-Lax, his tour manager John Wolff, daughter Amanda De Wolf, and biographers Tony Fletcher and Richard Barnes. Archival concert and television footage tell the story of Keith Moon's life. It also includes excellent re-enactments that detail the last 24 hours before his death.
There are some striking similarities between Keith Moon's death and that of Janis Joplin. Both were well known for their wild ways and their addictions, but they had both begun cleaning up their acts at the time of their deaths. And then they were gone... leaving only their musical legacies, and questions, behind.
I'd highly recommend Keith Moon: His Final Hours for those who love '60s and '70s classic rock, for fans of The Who, and for those who, like me, have a Dead Crush on Keith Moon.
The series Final 24 released by MVD Entertainment Group is part documentary and part biography. It examines the lives of the famous dead, looking for the clues, the harbingers, of what was to come. By examining the past, and re-creating the events that occurred on the day they died, producer Nick Godwin is able to capture, through reflection, the tragic end that was always rushing towards them like a head-on train.
Previously in the Final 24 review series: Janis Joplin: Her Final Hours
Coming next: Gianni Versace: His Final Hours
.jpg?t=20130517094513)
Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
Great article about a great talent: a shooting star that fell too soon from the sky!
2 - Miss Bob Etier
Hey, Geeky, this is really well done! I love it! It's a shame that Moon didn't realize that by showing up sober and acting "normal" he would be surprising everyone. I liked Keith Moon and I guess I'm a hypocrite because I'm one of those people who hates drugs, but loves wild men and women (just not in my personal life so much). I'm not kidding myself--I know where they get so much of that wildness. The whole drugs thing is so discouraging.
Anyway, GREAT article. I really enjoyed it.
3 - Lynn Voedisch
I'm like Miss Bob, but I have other reasons for hating the whole drug trip. Been there done that, seen the damage done. Still Moon was such a talent--gone, gone, gone.
You go, grrrl. This is a great feature idea.
(i'm a shoe fetish type myself.)
4 - Christopher Rose
Personally, I dislike people who disapprove of drug taking but apparently remain untroubled by the vast scale of human misery caused by largely moralistic and controlling but otherwise unnecessary drug laws and the vast waste of money thrown away in a completely futile attempt to control drug use...
5 - A Geek Girl
I dislike people who disapprove of people who disapprove of people who dislike drugs. I might have missed a disapprove in there somewhere. Who knows? Wow. Everything's so green.