First Name:   Last Name:  or Married Last Name:
George F. Blackburn

George F. Blackburn[1]

Male 1947 - 2012  (64 years)

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  • Name George F. Blackburn 
    Nickname Rich 
    Born 26 Jul 1947  Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 18 May 2012  Bethalto, Madison, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Obituary 24 May 2012  [2
    George Blackburn, Illinois Man Who Changed His Name To Led Zeppelin II, Dies At 64

    Led Zeppelin II, a resident of Bethalto, Ill., died from a heart attack on May 18 at the age of 64.

    Born George Blackburn in 1947, the avid Zep' fan and longtime Chicago resident saw the British hard rock band perform about 20 times during its heyday in the late 1960s and early 1970s, according to Noisecreep.

    Mindy Baker of Seattle, one of Zeppelin's two daughters, told the Chicago Tribune that he had his name legally changed last fall following his third divorce.

    "My mom says that he talked about it for probably five years before the divorce," she said.

    Zeppelin also did some redecorating following the divorce, covering his living room in classic rock LP records.

    In a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article about his name change last fall, Zeppelin said that the band "changed his life," and cited a particular 1960s performance of the band in Chicago as a personal turning point.

    Zeppelin collapsed in an auto parts store in Bethalto on May 18, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The owner of the store told the Sun-Times that a Led Zeppelin song was playing at the time of the man's collapse.

    Released in 1969, the album "Led Zeppelin II" was the first of the English supergroup's albums to top the charts in the United States. It included the hit songs "Whole Lotta Love" and "Ramble On," and has been called a "blueprint" for the heavy metal bands that would follow it. 
    Person ID I326  clanSoren | FRS101
    Last Modified 22 Feb 2013 

    Family Ancestors Susan SORENSON Married: 2x2x ,   b. 20 Aug 1953, Provo, Utah, Utah, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 8 Sep 2012, Emerson, Bartow, Georgia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 59 years) 
    Married Type: Partners 
    Children 
    +01. Living
    Last Modified 15 May 2008 
    Family ID F44  Group Sheet

  • Sources 
    1. [S140] Newspaper Articles, Clippings, On-Line Documents, Huffington Post (on-line), 24 May 2012, George Blackburn, Illinois Man Who Changed His Name To Led Zeppelin II, Dies At 64 (Reliability: 3).

    2. [S140] Newspaper Articles, Clippings, On-Line Documents, Huffington Post (on-line), 24 May 2012, George Blackburn, Illinois Man Who Changed His Name To Led Zeppelin II, Dies At 64 (Reliability: 3), 22 Feb 2013.