In July 1977, Robert Plant's life changed forever when Karac, his 5-year-old son, died from a stomach virus while Led Zeppelin were touring the U.S. During this period of immense grief, he found vital support through his family and friends—including one of rock's most revered drummers, bandmate John "Bonzo" Bonham.
"I’d spent so much time trying to be a decent dad, but at the same time I was really attracted to what I was doing in Zeppelin," Plant told Classic Rock in 2020. "So when he bowed out, I just thought: 'What’s it all worth? What’s that all about? Would it have been any different if I was there, if I’d been around?' So I was thinking about the merit of my life at that time, and whether or not I needed to put a lot more into the reality of the people that I loved and cared for—my daughter and my family generally. So yeah, I was ready to jack it in, until Bonzo came along."
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In an interview with Dan Rather for AXS TV, Plant elaborated on the difficulty of maintaining a "normal family life" during the "hysteria" of the mid-to-late '70s, noting how Bonham's presence was key at that time. "[W]e pulled tight together, and both my wife and I had strong families and good support," he said. "John Bonham from Zeppelin and his wife, Pat—they were magnificent with us and helped us a lot. We lived pretty close together, a long way from London, so we were kind of local people."
The vocalist gave an example of Bonham's reliability to Classic Rock, explaining how the drummer would show up to his house in a "six-door Mercedes limousine" with a chauffeur driver's hat. "We lived five or six miles apart, not far from here, and sometimes we’d go out for a drink," he said. "He’d put the chauffeur driver’s hat on, and I’d sit in the back of this stretch Mercedes and we’d go out on the lash. Then he’d put his hat back on and drive me home. Of course, he’d be three sheets to the wind, and we’d go past cops and they’d go: 'There’s another poor fucker working for the rich!' But he was very supportive at that time, with his wife and the kids. So I did go back [to Zeppelin] for one more flurry."
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That "flurry" of activity resulted in one more studio album of new Led Zeppelin material: 1979's In Through the Out Door, which featured the artful ballad "All My Love," a tribute to Plant's late child. ("For many hours and days that pass ever soon / The tides have caused the flame to dim," he sings on the track. "At last, the arm is straight, the hand to the loom / Is this to end or just begin?")
"I think it was just paying tribute to the joy that he gave us as a family, and in a crazy way still does occasionally, his mother and I, often," Plant told Rather of the song. "I mean, the memory changes, and the contrast and the focus changes as time goes on. It was a long time ago that we lost him...and every now and again he turns up in songs, for no other reason than I miss him a lot."
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Stoic statueCanva
A family makes heart shapes with their hands at sunset
Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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