Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant Spurns $800 Million Offer

Sir Richard Branson offered the three surviving members a pile of money and a jumbo jet, but Zep’s lion-maned ex-lead singer tears up the contract in a fit of dignity.

It’s been a bad month for Sir Richard Branson. First, his fledgling space tourism program (and future Bieber-conveyer) took a tragic turn in the Mojave desert, resulting in the death of one of his test pilots and the miraculous survival of another. Now, Sir Richard is left dazed and confused by his all-time favorite band, Led Zeppelin. Sir Richard offered around $800 million and a free jumbo jet (which he would name “The Starship” just for the occasion) to play 34 shows in three cities, according to the Mirror. 

Then Robert Plant, considered by many to be the least cool member of Led Zeppelin, proved to the whole world that he is in fact the most rock-and-roll motherfucker who ever walked the earth: In front of an assembled team of promoters, he tore up Sir Richard’s proposed contract.

Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were both on board with the tour (Jason Bonham would have hit the skins), but according to sources speaking to the Mirror, “Robert asked for 48 hours to think about it. They have tried to talk him ’round, but there is no chance. His mind is made up and that’s that.” 

In the 34 years since Led Zeppelin called it quits, the Rolling Stones have become wax relics, earning billions as the world’s longest-running nostalgia act. In fact, their 2005-2007 tour to support the dreadful album, “A Bigger Bang,” was the highest grossing tour of all time, hovering up $559 million. 

Photos by Gijsbert Hanekroot / Getty Images