Robert Plant Opens Up on Son Karac’s 1977 Death and His Quiet Life Today

Robert Plant has spoken in a new interview with The Sunday Times about how the death of his five-year-old son Karac in 1977 reshaped his feelings toward Led Zeppelin, and about the low-key life he now leads far from the band’s old spotlight. Karac Plant died on July 26, 1977, after an acute gastrointestinal infection took hold and spread quickly through his body.

At the time, Plant was in the United States with Led Zeppelin on the tour supporting the album Presence. News of his son’s death reached him on the road, and the band scrapped the remaining seven shows on the schedule without delay.

• Karac Plant died at age five on July 26, 1977.
• Led Zeppelin canceled seven remaining U.S. tour dates immediately after the news.
• The band never toured America again, though it released In Through the Out Door in 1979 and Coda in 1982.
• Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980 after drummer John Bonham’s death at age 32.
• Plant, now 78, has split his time for roughly thirty years between elsewhere and the Worcestershire village of Shatterford, home to about 800 people.

What Robert Plant Said About Losing Karac

Plant told the paper that there was no playbook for carrying on with the band after such a loss, saying there was “no map, no instructions to Led Zeppelin, and we just carried on.” He went further in explaining how the tragedy detached him emotionally from the group’s day-to-day grind.

“But I didn’t need the group after losing my boy,” Plant said. “These musical romances are great when everything is great. When things go left of centre, who wants to sit backstage for hours and hours with people you’ve been stuck with since 1968? You’re not playing cards, you’re not going to the movies, you’re just waiting. I was always looking to get away.”

Plant voiced a similar sentiment back in 2007, telling Rolling Stone at the time: “I lost my boy. I didn’t want to be in Led Zeppelin. I wanted to be with my family.”

Robert Plant on John Bonham and the End of Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin’s run ended in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham, a friend of Plant’s going back to childhood, who died of alcohol poisoning at 32. Plant offered a sympathetic read on what he believes Bonham was wrestling with in his final years with the band.

“John was a sensitive, big-hearted guy who got overwhelmed by the boredom of the moving monolith,” Plant said. “He was torn between missing his family and being the classiest drummer from any rock band. He couldn’t leave it behind.”

Robert Plant’s Life in Shatterford Today

Plant described a routine in Shatterford that stands in sharp contrast to his Led Zeppelin years, down to the details of his weekly schedule. “Tuesday night is bingo night,” he said. “You might win 25 quid. Wednesday is misery corner at the local pub, where all the musicians who never quite made it on the Birmingham scene moan about their lot.”

He also noted how little his rock history means to his neighbors. “I’ve been a quasi big shot for so long that in Worcestershire nobody gives a fuck,” Plant said. “The most they say is: All right, Bob? Still doing a bit? Well, I won five Grammys with Alison Krauss… What’s a Grammy?”

Plant also addressed Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion concert, a tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun held at London’s O2 arena, confirming he always viewed it as a single, unrepeated event. “That was always my plan,” he said.

More Info

• Robert Plant: “Whatever Led Zeppelin was, it was definitely not glamorous” | Guitar Player
• "I didn’t need the group after losing my boy. When things go left of centre, who wants to sit backstage for hours with people you’ve been stuck with since 1968?" Robert Plant says that the death of his son changed his relationship with Led Zeppelin | Louder / Classic Rock
• Robert Plant Says He Didnt Need Led Zeppelin After Losing His 5-Year-Old Son | Consequence
• Robert Plant Reveals Why He Didn’t Need Led Zeppelin After His Son’s Death in 1977 | parade.com
• Robert Plant says he enjoys quiet life in Midlands village after Led Zeppelin | birminghammail.co.uk
• Robert Plant ‘didn’t need’ Led Zeppelin after death of son | standard.co.uk
• Robert Plant “didn’t need” Led Zeppelin after the death of his son | faroutmagazine.co.uk
• Robert Plant: ‘Re-form Led Zep? I’ve got bingo on Tuesday nights’ | thetimes.com