In the May issue of Sounds magazine, music journalist Geoff Barton wrote about the emerging scene at the Bandwagon Rock Club in Kingsbury, North London. It was in this article that the term "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" was first introduced, coined by Sounds editor Alan Lewis.
Tensions within Aerosmith reached a boiling point when lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry engaged in a heated confrontation after a show in Cleveland, leading Perry to depart from the band.
February 2 – John Simon Ritchie, better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, former bassist of Sex Pistols, died from a drug overdose at the age of 21.
March 22 – Clayborn Pinkins, founding member and bassist of Black Death, was murdered by gunshot at the age of 25.