AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd unexpectedly pleads guilty to threatening to kill ex-employee

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads guilty to threat to kill associate

(Image credit: Joel Ford/Getty Images)

Phil Rudd, longtime drummer for the rock bank AC/DC, has unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty on a charge that he threatened to kill a former employee he had fired after a solo album failed to sell well, a court in Tauranga, New Zealand, said Tuesday. Rudd also pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Rudd called an associate in September and said he wanted one of the fired employees "taken out," then later offered that same associate about $150,000 plus "a motorbike, one of his cars, or a house," apparently to carry out the earlier request. Rudd also allegedly called the unidentified ex-employee and threatened to "come over and kill you," which frightened the worker, BBC News reports. A second murder-for-hire charge was dropped due to lack of evidence.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.