Jello Biafra Hospitalized After Stroke

Dead Kennedys’ former frontman Jello Biafra, 67, was hospitalized on Saturday, March 7, after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke caused by high blood pressure. Biafra shared details of the incident via his record label, Alternative Tentacles, on Instagram.

Details of the Incident

Biafra recounted the event, explaining, “I hopped out of my bed given that I needed to pee, and my left leg just collapsed under me and I fell to the floor. I couldn’t even break the fall with my left arm because it wasn’t working either. I tried to hop back up again, and I couldn’t. I realized I had ‘fallen and I can’t get up!’ It was this point I thought, ‘Oh shit, I’m having a stroke!’”

Alternative Tentacles confirmed Biafra is currently stable and receiving care in the hospital. A statement from the label read, “We are all just remarkably thankful he is OK and getting the care that he needs. We will update you all as we are able.”

Past Legal Disputes with Dead Kennedys

Biafra left the Dead Kennedys in 1986 and has not participated in recent reunions. Guitarist East Bay Ray has stated that Biafra consistently declines offers for the band to perform together, attributing this to legal issues. Ray alleged, “It’s Biafra that turns down any offers for us to do something. we don’t have any problem. He got caught with his hands in the till and wants to blame us for getting caught, but he should never have put his hands in there in the first place.”

The band previously sued Biafra in 1998, accusing him of withholding royalties. The lawsuit concluded in 2000 with a ruling requiring Biafra to pay his former bandmates outstanding royalties and punitive damages.

As a result of the legal battle, Biafra was also compelled to relinquish the rights to the majority of the Dead Kennedys’ back catalog, enabling the remaining members to reissue albums, including a 2022 re-release of their debut album, ‘Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables’. Biafra has claimed this re-release was done “intentionally” without his knowledge.

Background

Raymond Pepperell, known as Jello Biafra, co-founded the San Francisco punk band Dead Kennedys in 1978. He also founded the independent record label Alternative Tentacles in 1979, initially to release Dead Kennedys’ music. The label went on to feature artists such as NoMeansNo, D.O.A., and Butthole Surfers.

Last summer, Biafra collaborated with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, performing a cover of Dead Kennedys’ ‘Police Truck’ at the Field Of Vision festival in Buena Vista, Colorado.