How Led Zeppelin Was Robbed For $200k

Led Zeppelin was the living proof of the true rock n’ roll legend. Their legacy did not merely equate to their impressive repertoire of songs, but their iconic stories remain ingrained as well. Stories that were so unbelievably shocking that you have to read them twice for you to comprehend. Perhaps, one of the bizarre chronicles that surrounded the group was also considered to be the biggest question mark in the history of rock music: In July 1973, Led Zeppelin was blindly robbed in their hotel room with a sum that totaled up to $200,000.

The band was staying at the Drake Hotel in New York City, during their tour. Richard Cole, the band’s road manager, went to check on a lot of money that was in their hotel deposit box at around 7:30 p.m. but to his complete shock, he only found five passports, and the $200,000 money was nowhere to be found. Led Zeppelin had to put up an emergency press con to announce the incident, and the search for the perpetrator was on.

According to Bob Spitz, the author of Led Zeppelin: The Biography, Cole was considered the primary suspect, seeing as he’s the only one who had access to the box. But after a thorough investigation, he passed all the screening and the lie detector test. Another suspect, a bellman was also considered, but there was no progression in that case afterward.

Moreover, some say that the robbery was officiated by none other than Peter Grant, Zeppelin’s manager. Various conversations inside the band’s biography have suggested Grant’s involvement in the crime, but no proof was given, therefore the claims were obsolete.

Despite the media calling it “the largest-ever hotel cash robbery in New York City,” the Led Zeppelin members themselves were far from being concerned about it. For them, that $200k was nothing compared to the paychecks that go inside their accounts. But justice is what’s important, and to this day, it remains a mystery that is yet to solve.