Robert Plant Said Phil Collins Helped Him Get Back Into ‘Fighting Shape’ After John Bonham’s Death

In 1980, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died, and Robert Plant relied on Phil Collins in the aftermath of his bandmate’s death. Plant said he was suddenly jolted into a solo career, which his friends, especially Collins, helped him navigate. He revealed why Collins was particularly helpful to him.

Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham died in 1980

Bonham died in his sleep in Sept. 1980, following a long day and night of drinking. Plant shared how Bonham’s death impacted him.

“He was an incredible character and so encouraging for me despite the fact he was always taking the mickey out of me and I loved him desperately,” Plant said, per the Belfast Telegraph. “We really were kids and we grew up not having a clue about anything at all, just the two of us, loud, confident and mostly wrong and it was really good. We covered most of the squares on the board as time went by, I do miss him.”

Bonham’s Led Zeppelin bandmates had no intention of continuing on with the band without him.

“After John passed away and there was no Led Zeppelin, there had to be a way to go,” Plant told Vulture in 2023. “I floundered around a lot because until I was 32, I was in some kind of wild and absurd adventure. I went through all that stuff.”

Robert Plant said Phil Collins helped him greatly after his bandmate’s death

Plant said that the early days of his solo career were made possible by his friends. 

“It’s hard for anybody to expose themselves musically,” he said. “Other people with me, and me with other people. I have a lot of songs under my belt, which I co-wrote with the members of Zeppelin. It was a lot to live up to. I had a lot of people who gave me support and strength around that time, so I suppose the first two albums were driven by great friends.”

Collins was an important driving force for Plant.

“Phil Collins especially was a driving force and had positive energy with the first record, Pictures at Eleven,” he explained. “It wasn’t a difficult job to get together with other people, it was just whether or not we could cook it properly. With Phil, it wasn’t so much advice as encouragement and consideration. He was taking no prisoners.”

Collins offered Plant a limited amount of time, which helped bring more honest performances out of the musicians.

“He would only allow himself a short amount of time to come to the studio in Wales and make it work,” Plant explained. “Nobody was hiding behind the performance.”

Robert Plant and Phil Collins toured together

After working in the studio, Plant and Collins toured together. Collins had admired Bonham, so he wanted to help his bandmate in any way he could. 

“Then he came on tour with me and basically said, ‘Robert, the guy that sat behind you for all those years was my hero.’ That was it,” Plant explained. “He said, ‘Anything I can do to help you to get back into fighting shape again, I’m here.’ That was at the time when ‘In the Air Tonight’ came out. Yet he was still mixing and working with me while kicking off a particularly impressive and successful time for himself. He’s a great spirit, a good man.”