If you could predict your final words, what would you want to say? Would you send your love to those closest to you? Would you pray? Maybe you would try to have your last words be a summation of your entire life’s ethos. That is a feat easier said than done for most people—which Keith Moon was not.
The life of the drummer for The Who was a tragically short but undeniably impressive one. Moon, alongside his bandmates, ushered in a new era of rock ‘n’ roll. This version was powerful, aggressive, and a little wild. With Moon behind the kit, these adjectives were practically guaranteed.
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However, like so many of his young contemporaries, Moon died at 31. He overdosed on sedatives he was taking to curb alcohol withdrawal symptoms on his journey to sobriety. His last recorded words might not have painted him in the finest light. But damn if they don’t summarize what Keith Moon was all about, right down to the expletive.
Keith Moon’s Last Words to His Girlfriend, Annette Walter-Lax
In 1978, Keith Moon was living in Flat 12, 9 Curzon Place, Mayfair, London, with his girlfriend, Annette Walter-Lax. Harry Nilsson rented the place to Moon, though he warned that the apartment seemed to be unlucky, due in large part to the fact that Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas died there four years earlier. On September 6 of that year, Nilsson’s fears came true.
After attending a party hosted by Paul and Linda McCartney, Moon and Walter-Lax retired to their apartment in Mayfair. He was taking Heminevrin, the alcohol withdrawal medication, in conjunction with wine. At some point in the night or early morning, Moon asked Walter-Lax to cook a meal for him. When she protested, he reportedly replied, “If you don’t like it, you can f*** off!”
Walter-Lax left Moon to his own devices after that. When she returned some time later, she discovered him dead in bed. Those final words are undoubtedly difficult to sit with on a personal level. They’re crass, dismissive, and not exactly the kind of thing you would want lingering in a lover’s mind.
Still, there’s something to be said for that knee-jerk response and how it summed up Keith Moon’s entire life. From his persona on-stage to his powerful talent to his wild antics, Moon moved through life emulating that same message: If you don’t like it, you can f*** off.
Photo by The Visualeyes Archive/Redferns