Alex Carson
Before his death in 1980 at the tragically young age of only 33, Bon Scott was the lead singer of legendary rock-and-roll group AC/DC. After Bon’s death, the band went onto achieve more success than ever before with the release of Back in Black the same year. Though fans have always thought that Back in Black was created without Bon’s involvement, there is evidence suggesting that the singer contributed lyrics to the album before his passing. Other secrets that aren’t commonly known about the rock-and-roll frontman include the fact that many think he became involved in heroin before he died. This changes how some are viewing the late singer’s death, as it was initially believed that he had died simply of alcohol poisoning. Join Facts Verse as we explore what happened to AC/DC’s Bon Scott on his final night alive.
How Did Bon Scott Really Die?
When one is tasked with naming off notorious deaths from rock-and-roll history, AC/DC’s Bon Scott is generally going to make it into the first grouping. With Bon as it’s frontman, the Australian heavy-metal group became an underground sensation the world over thanks to albums like Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Highway to Hell. Though the band was known predominantly amongst rock fanatics throughout the 1970s, it found unprecedented crossover success with the release of 1980’s Back in Black. Sadly, by the time that this album was released, Bon Scott was no longer alive.
Back in Black was released in July of 1980, while Bon Scott had passed away in February of the same year. Not wanting to miss out on their rising success, the group kept on working and found a new singer as soon as Bon passed away. Bon had been the lyricist for the band as well as the singer, which meant that his replacement was going to have some seriously big shoes to fill. The band ended up settling on a singer by the name of Brian Johnson as Bon’s replacement. The songs on Back in Black, including the titular hit and the equally successful “You Shook Me All Night Long”, were attributed to the new songwriting team of Brian, Malcolm Young, and Angus Young. Guitarists Malcolm and Angus are two of the founding members of the group, having founded it in November of 1973 alongside drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams, as well as original vocalist Dave Evans. Dave was soon replaced with Bon Scott, solidifying the lineup that the band would find success with.
Although Back in Black was a crossover success for AC/DC that rocketed the band to new heights, this success was bittersweet for the group in multiple ways. For one thing, Bon Scott wasn’t around to see it. For another thing, their newfound celebrity turned off many hardcore fans of the group. Finally, there was the fact of the matter that the band was simply no longer the same one that had made such definitive heavy-metal albums as Highway to Hell. Though Brian Johnson’s more polished voice works better with mainstream listeners, it’s never had Bon’s authentic edge.
Was Bon Into Heavier Things Than Alcohol?
By all accounts, Bon Scott was a man that loved to party. He partied as hard as he could, and his opportunities for partying greatly increased when AC/DC stated finding underground success. In the months leading up to his death, the singer was said to have been at his worst as far as alcohol was concerned. However, until recently, not much has been discussed about whether or not the rock-and-roll frontman was also dabbling in hard drugs. At the time of Bon’s death, the passing was attributed solely to alcoholism. However, there is evidence to suggest that not only was Bon also dabbling in heroin around the time, but that heroin may have been the predominant cause of the singer’s death.
Up until recently, it was widely accepted that Bon Scott had passed away from drinking too much. In February of 1980, the singer was found passed out in his car by a friend. The friend then tried to wake the musician up and failed, at which point he put a blanket on him and then went inside to sleep. When the friend went out to the car the next morning, Bon was no longer alive. Within only two days of the incident, the singer’s cause of death was established to be acute alcohol poisoning. On his death certificate, the cause was listed as “death by misadventure” so as to give the singer some dignity. Bon certainly drank a lot, and drinking certainly kills people. Because of this, it was easy to believe the story of the singer passing away simply from alcohol poisoning.
Though some still believe that Bon Scott died of alcohol poisoning alone and wasn’t interested in other substances later in his life, most have come to accept that the singer was most likely dabbling in harder things than booze before his passing. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Will This Revelation Harm Bon Scott’s Legacy?
Some AC/DC fans may be surprised to learn that it has been rumored that the late Bon Scott was dabbling in heroin before his passing. There are many who believe that what killed the rock-and-roll singer wasn’t alcohol poisoning, but was instead a heroin overdose. Several people experienced with the drug have come out and expressed that the circumstances of the singer’s passing seem more indicative of a heroin-related death than an alcohol-related one.
In most cases, clearing up the matter of whether or not Bon Scott was on heroin at the time of his death would be as easy as looking at the toxicology report performed after his passing. However, in Bon’s case, there was no toxicology report! The reason that the singer’s cause of death was announced so fast was that minimal investigation took place. No one bothered to see what substances were in Bon’s bloodstream because it was obvious enough that he had been drinking heavily. Since booze is toxic enough on it’s own, those in charge felt that they didn’t need another cause to add to the list. Besides this discrepancy, some have also taken issue with the fact that Bon Scott’s address is incorrectly listed on his death certificate. They believe this provides evidence that the case was handled ineptly.
Given how much Bon Scott liked to party, it’s not all that much of a stretch to believe that the singer became involved in heroin towards the end of his life. However, there are many fans that flat-out refuse to believe that their idol would’ve gone that far with his substance abuse. The revelation of the singer’s possible heroin use isn’t the only posthumous revelation that has changed the way some people view both him and AC/DC in general. There’s also the fact of the matter that many now believe Bon made uncredited lyrical contributions to the album Back in Black.
Did Bon Scott Write the Lyrics for the Album Back in Black?
As we’ve already briefly discussed, when Back in Black was released, Bon Scott wasn’t credited as a lyricist on the album. Instead, the lyrics were credited to the late singer’s replacement: Brian Johnson. However, numerous ex-girlfriends of the late Bon Scott have come out of the woodwork with claims that the singer wrote at least some of the lyrics to the album, if not all of them. One girlfriend alleges that Bon quoted lyrics that would end up featuring in the song “You Shook Me All Night Long” to her before his death. This girlfriend also says that the song includes references to a horse she had at the time. The horse’s name was “Double-time”, and this phrase is used in the song.
The ex-girlfriend that alleges Bon Scott not only wrote “You Shook Me All Night Long” but also wrote it about her is named Holly X. Meanwhile, there’s also another ex-girlfriend of the late rock-and-roll legend that claims that she saw evidence before Bon’s death that the singer had played a part in the writing of Back in Black. According to this girlfriend, named Silver Smith, she received letters from Bon all the way back in the mid-1970s that included snippets of lyrics that would end up being featured on Back in Black.
Though many AC/DC fans are now fully convinced that the late Bon Scott played a major part in the writing of Back in Black, the album’s writing is still attributed to Brian Johnson and the Young brothers. The band is still performing today, though there have been points recently where Angus Young and original bassist Cliff Williams have been the only notable members of the group on stage. Malcolm Young has suffered his share of health crises over the years, and these have oftentimes necessitated breaks in the performing schedule. The same can be said for Brian Johnson. During one occasion where Angus and Cliff had had to go it alone under the AC/DC moniker, they brought in a high-profile guest in the form of Axl Rose. Original drummer Phil Rudd is no longer with the band due to legal issues. It seems that the rock-and-roll drummer threatened to kill someone, leaving him unable to perform with the group. However, Phil intends to come back and perform again as soon as he can, and it seems that his bandmates are expecting him back soon. There are numerous things that have changed since AC/DC was an underground heavy-metal sensation hailing out of Australia, and many still consider the group’s greatest material to be found on the Bon Scott-era albums. However, there’s something to be said for the fact that the band continues to chug along in one form or another today!
Though fans have always been led to believe that AC/DC frontman Bon Scott died of alcohol poisoning and made no contributions to the album Back in Black, many are now questioning this narrative. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that AC/DC frontman Bon Scott was rumored to have gotten into heroin before his death, and that some say he made significant lyrical contributions to Back in Black? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
