Def Leppard's Rick Allen Recounts the Days Following His Life-Altering Accident

Huge sense of brotherhood that they didn’t just outright replace him yet just kept on supporting him and trucking along. Love Def Leppard

A drummer with one arm. And a HELL of a drummer at that. It's astounding.

What is amazing about this happening/event ... is that the band DID NOT abandon him.

What an amazing attitude - and for his mates to give him the time it took to see if it worked or not.  Kudos to Def Leppard.

"The weird thing is he's been one armed longer than two armed". After he said that, I was like man that's another interesting way to look at it too.

I have so much love and respect for Def Leopard, as song writers, musicians and as human beings. These are honorable men who understand the meaning of friendship.

Def Leppard are a family. You can see that here. The smiles and pride on their faces as he told the story are priceless.

Def Leppard is still together thanks to Rick's tenacity. Amazing man!

99.9% of bands would of gotten another drummer and that is why as a drummer, I have the utmost respect for this band.

When I thought about giving up drums as a kid, Rick’s story and energy convinced me otherwise. I’ve since taught drums at a collegiate level. Thanks, Rick.

I remember Rick Allen's accident like it was just a couple of years ago. I had wondered at the time how he'd ever continue. But here he is, still going strong. Legendary really. Well done Rick.

Rick Allen is one of the most inspirational drummers and person in general. Just about any other person in his position wouldn't have continued as a drummer. I was blown away by his paying ability when I first saw them in 1992.

My father introduced me to Def Leppard when I was only a baby, he tells me stories of how I would bounce up and down in my crib to the songs and I’ve loved them ever since. My father and I had the pleasure of meeting Rick through his Wentworth Galleries art tour. He is such a humble, kind person and if you didn’t know who he was you would never even know he was a rockstar. My father suffered a spinal chord tumor just about 20 years ago and has been paralyzed from the waist down ever since. The second we were called back to meet Rick he immediately moved past all of his people ushering back to get to my father and help push his wheel chair and position him at the table. Before we discussed anything art or music he asked my father what had happened to him and my father had explained the whole story and for the first time and probably only time in my entire life I sat and watched my two greatest heroes (Rick is my fathers biggest inspiration as well because of how he overcame his adversity) have a down to earth humble conversation about the struggles of being handicapped. After they finished talking I got Rick to sign some stuff and asked him so questions about Steve Clark ( he’s my biggest inspiration as a guitar player ) and he was just so kind and down to earth. I will never forget the 10 minutes I spent with Rick Allen and I will never forget how he made my fathers life complete. If you ever read this Rick, I just want to say thank you so much and keep rocking on brother.

I’ve recently lost the use of my legs after a huge aortic aneurysm. As a 40+ year fan of Def Leppard, Rick has been a great inspiration to me. Many thanks Rick - your experience and how you dealt with it has helped me!

Rick Allen would be a fantastic one-on-one interview on the Stern show. Super nice guy, super funny and quite articulate. All good ingredients for the show.

Been a Lep fan since I was 12. Felt horrible for Rick when he lost his arm. I've cheered him on ever since. That band has been thru a lot. RIP Steve.....LONG LIVE DEF LEPPARD!

Rick seems like a genuinely kind hearted guy with an amazingly positive outlook on life. It's no wonder the rest of the band rallied behind him after the accident. Who are the six numbnuts' that gave this a thumbs down?

What a strong-willed man. His spirit is wonderful .

The nurse was just being positive and encouraging.. And obviously it made him feel good.

What a great group of friends. So awesome that they stuck together and helped Rick get through his recovery. They didn't continue without him, they waited for him. Respect.