Today, December 8, will be remembered forever for a tragic day in rock and roll. Three persons have died on separate occasions due to acts of cruelty and supidity.

December 8, 1980:

Victim: John Lennon, former member of The Beatles, at the time a solo artist planning a comeback to music.

Place: New York City

Assailant: Mark David Chapman, a fan with a pathological obsession for the former Beatle who felt insanely jealous of his success, complaining of Lennon's
"hypocrisy" for being a peace-and-love 60's icon while embracing a "materialistic" celebrity status.

Outcome: Chapman is currently serving life in prison, has been denied subsequent parole. Allegedly regrets his horrific act of assassinating his idol.

December 8, 1984

Victim: Nicholas Dingley, AKA Razzle, drummer for up-and-coming Finnish glam metal band Hanoi Rocks.

Place: Los Angeles

Assailant: Vince Neil, frontman of the hugely successful L.A. metal band Motley Crue. The two men were making a beer run, with Neil at the wheel, while both were legally intoxicated. Their car was involved in a multiple car collision which injured several other motorists and passengers, some severely.
Razzle was killed in the crash.

Outcome: Vince Neil was sentenced to do jail time, but was later inexplicably released due to "good behavior". Many criticized the early release as a mere slap on the wrist over a very serious vehicular homicide, citing that if Vince Neil were not a rock star, he would be locked up for years. Neil was ordered to make public anti-drug and alcohol messages as part of his release.

Hanoi Rocks broke up due to their drummer's death, never achieving great status in America, though their sleaze-glam image has had a very considerable impact on many metal bands of the 80's. They most likely would have been a big success. They have since reunited.

Vince Neil has returned to Motley Crue after a bitter departure in the 90's. The band is still going strong some twenty years after their heyday.

December 8, 2004

Victim: Dimebag Darrell Abbott, former lead guitarist for metal band Pantera, at the time guitarist for rising metal band DamagePlan.

Place: Cleveland, Ohio

Assailant: Nathan Gale, an psychotic ex-Marine who was obessed with Pantera, allegedly blamed Dimebag for "breaking up" the band. He slipped into a DamagePlan show at the Alrosa club and shot the guitarist from behind.
Gale also killed three others, including DamagePlan's head of security before being shot and killed himself.

Outcome: Dimebag's brother drummer Vinnie Paul has now sued the club for lax security. The band has broken up, but is planning to release new material.
Vocalist Pat Lachman is involved in a new band project while Paul involved in various recording sessions. Paul believes there may have been some conspiracy behind his brother's death. Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger has called Dimebag's shooting "the 9/11 of rock".