
-Heikki
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The Daily Telegraph (on page 3):
ROCK STAR'S FOUR-LETTER CRY AS HE CRASHED AT 104MPH
Cozy Powell, the rock drummer, died in a motorway crash while talking to
his girlfriend on his mobile phone, an inquest heard yesterday.
Powell, 50, who was over the drink-drive limit and not wearing a seat-
belt, joked with Sharon Reeve that was "doing 104mph" in his Black Saab
9000 Carlsson Turbo,
Seconds later, however, the rear was tyre punctured and the car spun out
of control as the driver turned a bend.
Powell, a former member of Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, and the Michael
Schenker Group, was thrown from the vehicle as it cart-wheeled through
the air before landing on top of him.
A passing off-duty policeman ran to the scene and found the drummer's
body underneath the vehicle.
An inquest in Bristol yesterday heard that the accident happened on the
M4 near Bristol as Powell, who had a lifelong love of fast cars and
motorbikes, drove from his home in Woodford St Mary, near Hungerford,
Berks, to meet Miss Reeve in Cardiff on April 5.
In a statement that was read out to the inquest, she said: "I telephoned
his mobile at 8.30pm that day but he was having problems with his
signal.
"He said he was having trouble with his gearbox and said, 'I'm driving
at nearly 104mph and I hope the engine doesn't seize.'
"He broke of in mid-sentence. I heard Cozy say 'Oh, sh*t' and I heard a
loud bang. At this stage I realised he was involved in an accident so I
called the police."
The inquest heard that Powell, whose real name was Colin, was found to
be over the drink-drive limit with 119mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
Paul Forrest, the Avon coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Powell's biggest hit was the instrumental Dance With The Devil, which
reached number 3 in the UK singles charts in 1973.