By the time the year 1984 was winding down, Def Leppard had established themselves as one of the biggest rock bands in the world, following the enormous success of their album Pyromania (1983), which sold a hefty 10 million copies.
But then tragedy struck in an instant when drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a vicious car accident, which has since been documented numerous times over the proceeding 37 years.
But in a new interview with ABC News, Allen got emotional when he told the story one more time; only this time tears fell when he shared about the most important thing to get him where he is today: his heart.
Triumph over tragedy: Rick Allen, 57, got emotional when he talked out the heart it took for him to survive losing his left arm in a car accident on New Year's Eve 1984, and relearn the drums to remain as a the drummer of Def Leppard
It was during the afternoon hours of New Year's Eve 1984 when Allen crashed his Corvette while cruising the countryside streets just outside of Sheffield, England.
While trying to pass a red Alfa Romeo at a high speed, he lost control of his car, smashed into a stone wall and flipped over into a field.
During the chat with ABC News' Phil Lipof, the Dronfield, Derbyshire, England native revealed he was thrown through the sunroof, and that his left arm got caught in the seatbelt when it came undone during the crash.
As a result, the arm was severed from his body. Initially, doctors reattached the arm but they would eventually have to amputate because of an infection.
Rock gods: The band, which formed in 1977, were among the biggest rock band in the world following the release of their third studio album, Pyromania, in August 1983
Special kit: But after losing his arm in a car accident Allen would relearn to play drums with one hand on a specially designed electronic drum kit that incorporated foot pedals to do some of the work his left arm would have done
Despite losing his arm, Allen was determined to find a way to remain with Def Leppard, which meant finding an entirely new approach to playing drums.
With the support of his bandmates - singer Joe Elliot, bassist Rick Savage, and guitarists Phil Collen and the late Steve Clark, who died from alcohol poisoning in 1991 - Allen would relearn to play with one hand on a specially designed electronic drum kit that incorporated foot pedals to do some of the work his left arm would have done.
Allen would have to use a mix of patience, persistence, hard work, and thinking outside the box
