Def Leppard's Rick Allen: Life's 'Been Difficult' Since 'Traumatic' 2023 Attack

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen spoke candidly about the "traumatic" attack he was the victim of in the streets of Florida two years ago.

In March 2023, the 61-year-old British rocker was outside his hotel when a teenage tourist pushed him, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.

Now, two years later, Allen revealed that the experience still affects him.

"I've been going through some challenging times, kind of related to what happened in Florida," he said on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk," according to People. "And that whole thing is ongoing, when I got beaten up outside the hotel. So I've been trying to deal with that the best that I can, and really, I just needed to take a break from some of the side projects that I was busy with, just so I could spend more time at home."

Allen performed with Def Leppard during last summer's stadium tour and plans to hit the road with them again this May, but he shared that managing other commitments has taken a toll.

"That's been a real challenge for me. Hopefully, I can put it all behind me, and I can just kind of get back to as normal as I could possibly be given the circumstances," he said. "But that was very traumatic for me, and yeah, it's been difficult. But hopefully, I can put it behind me soon."

Allen, who lost his left arm in a near-fatal crash in 1984 and had to relearn how to play the drums, sustained a head injury when a teen allegedly approached him from behind and threw him to the ground outside the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale. The attack took place a day after Def Leppard performed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel, according to ABC News, citing police.

During the attack, a woman who tried to intervene was also injured after the attacker reportedly began hitting her and dragging her by her hair. He then fled but was later arrested when police found him breaking car windows in a nearby parking lot, according to a police report.

He was charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult, according to the arrest report.

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