A petition for final distribution in the estate of the late ex-Dead Kennedys and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer D.H. Peligro will take place early next year, a court official has ruled.
Peligro — born Darren Eric Henley — died in October 2022 at age 63 of the combined effects of fentanyl and heroin and his death was accidental, the Coroner’s office reported in May 2023.
On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Mark S. Priver said a hearing on a petition for final distribution or a status report was continued until March 2, 2027. The estate’s personal representative is Russell Henley and he is represented by attorney Joseph Engle, who filed court papers last December informing the court that the estate had rejected a creditor’s claim for $28,400.
The musician played intermittently for the Dead Kennedys for more than 20 years and was living out of a van in San Francisco when he met Jello Biafra, the band’s front man, and East Bay Ray, the band’s guitarist, in the early 1980s.
When original drummer Bruce “Ted” Slesinger departed the band in 1981, Peligro was one of more than a dozen drummers to audition.
The Dead Kennedys broke up in December 1986, and Peligro moved on to a short gig with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, replacing Jack Irons. He helped write some songs on the band’s 1989 album “Mother’s Milk,” but did not perform on the album. He was responsible for introducing front man Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea to a young John Frusciante, who later became the group’s guitarist.
The Dead Kennedys reunited in the 2000s, and Peligro stayed with the band through several changes in front men. He took a hiatus in 2008, but rejoined in 2009.