Def Leppard drummer admits he’s still ‘struggling’ two years after madman attacked him outside hotel

It’s been two years since Rick Allen, the legendary drummer from Def Leppard, was randomly attacked outside a Florida hotel, and the 61-year-old musician is still struggling with the aftermath. 

“I’ve been going through some challenging times, kind of related to what happened in Florida,” Allen said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk.” “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.”

“That’s been a real challenge for me,” Allen, who will join Def Leppard’s stadium tour this summer, continued. “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. But that was very traumatic for me, and yeah, it’s been difficult. But hopefully I can put it behind me soon.”

In March 2023, Allen was attacked by a 19-year-old outside a Fort Lauderdale hotel. 

Allen, who was in town for a gig with the rock band, was smoking a cigarette outside the Four Seasons near the valet when Max Hartley, who had reportedly been hiding behind a pole, ran at the musician and allegedly knocked him over. The fall caused Allen to hit his head on the ground, causing injury, police reported at the time. 

An unnamed woman came to Allen’s defense and was then also allegedly attacked by Hartley, who knocked her to the ground and began repeatedly striking her. She was able to run back into the hotel, but was followed by Hartley, who allegedly grabbed the woman by her hair and dragged her outside, according to the report.

The 19-year-old was arrested later after fleeing the area. Police said he was found by Conrad hotel staff nearby while he walked through the parking garage allegedly damaging vehicles. Hartley was charged with four felony counts of criminal mischief, one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of aggravated battery.

Police noted in the report that the victim had lost his arm in 1984. Allen was involved in a near-fatal car crash that year that took his left arm. Afterward, he had to re-teach himself how to play drums.

A few days after the attack, Allen thanked his supporters for their ongoing love and encouragement. 

“Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Your love and prayers are truly helping.”

“My wife Lauren was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident. We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space.”

“We are focusing on healing for everyone involved,” Allen continued. “We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy. We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people.”