They Were Given an Antibiotic Which Contained an Anti-Inflammatory Cocktail Called Azithromycin

 11 Years Ago Today

Friday 17th of December 2010
Singer-songwriter, musician and artist Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart dies of complications from multiple sclerosis at the age of 69 in Arcata, California, United States.
Bruno Garcia is said to have left the band at the age of 38 on March 5th, 1992 while still playing guitar with his late best friend Michael Sibbitt that same evening. A few weeks into the show Don played one of his most prolific sets - The Devil Is a Warrior - which featured the band's first full-length album in 11 years. The tour was to be followed by a tour of Europe, Europe/Canada and Australia.
In September of 1992, the band's drummer J.B. Kopp, drummer Mark Jones and bassist Richard Jones became ill with the same illness. They suffered from a blood disorder called rheumatoid arthritis. They underwent a blood sample collection of a blood sample taken from Don. They were given an antibiotic which contained an anti-inflammatory cocktail called azithromycin. The blood sample was sent to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Columbus, OH where it took about a month before they had to be re-tested on an outpatient basis. With no further testing, they were released back to North America and toured in November, 1992-April, 1993. Their second album, the All-You-Can-Eat Christmas.