Dead Kennedys Drummer D.H. Peligro Passes Away at 63

Iconic punk band Dead Kennedys announced yesterday that drummer D.H. Peligro passed away at his home on Friday. According to a statement on the band’s Instagram page, responding police said Henley accidentally fell at his home and sustained trauma to his head. He was 63 years old.

Dead Kennedys’ drummer D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley) passed away in his Los Angeles home yesterday, October 28th. Police on the scene stated that he died from trauma to the head caused by an accidental fall.  Arrangements are pending and will be announced in the coming days.  We ask that you respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.  Thank you for your thoughts and words of comfort.

Henley had been with the Dead Kennedys from 1981 to 1986, 2001 to 2008, and then from 2009 until today. You can hear his drumming and backing vocals on the band’s studio albums Plastic Surgery Disasters, Frankenchrist, Bedtime for Democracy, and the compilation Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death, as well as a number of live albums and EPs. On his debut recording, the In God We Trust EP, you can hear his handiwork on the iconic song “Nazi Punks Fuck Off,” which remains a staple to anti-fascist sentiments to this day.

Along with the Dead Kennedys, Peligro has worked with Moby, Feederz, the Aliens, and Nailbomb, as well as his own band named Peligro, which had three albums: Peligro, Welcome to America, and Sum of Our Surroundings. He also fronted Reverend Jones and the Cool Aid Choir, the Hellions, and Al Sharpton’s Hair.

We wish Peligro’s friends, family, and bandmates our deepest condolences.