The Tragic Death of Hillel Slovak

Founding Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak died at just 26 years old in 1988. Prior to his death, Slovak was struggling with addiction, while on the cusp of a critical and commercial breakthrough with his band’s third album. Over three decades since his passing, Slovak would be regarded in shaping not only the band’s early musical direction, but their continued success to this day.

Israel-Born, Hillel Slovak Relocates to USA

Hillel Slovak was born on April 13, 1962, in Haifa, Israel and moved to the United States with his family, initially to New York and then resettling in Los Angeles 5 years later.

Slovak took interest in painting as a child, but focused more on music in his teens, when he got his first guitar as a bar mitzvah present. In high school, he befriended Michael “Flea” Balzary, and drummer Jack Irons, both of whom would become his future bandmates.

Slovak Finds his Footing as Lead Guitarist

In the meantime, Slovak found his footing as a hard rock and metal-based lead guitarist, taking note from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Kiss. He formed his first band in the late 70’s with friends from school with Irons on drums, Alain Johannes on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Todd Strassman on bass.

The band started out as Chain Reaction, then renamed themselves as Anthem, and later, Anthym.

In October 2021, Johannes unveiled one of Anthym’s early demos through his Instagram page, an eight-track tape from 1979 called Paradox. In his post, he writes, “Found this cassette deep in a box… can’t believe it still kinda plays.”

Two weeks later, it was revealed that another Anthym demo, this time from 1980, called Forever Love, was discovered by Blast Music Management, who’d obtained it from Total Annihilation Studio. Between the two tapes, you can get a sense of Slovak’s approach, as he moves from the straight-ahead blues-rock of Black Sabbath to the arena-rock of early 70’s-era Rush.

Slovak Meets Anthony Kiedis

By the early 80s, Anthym would compete in a battle of the bands contest, and also manage late night gigs in the local bar scene, even though all its members weren’t of legal age. After one of those performances, Slovak met another Fairfax High student named Anthony Kiedis, who was in the audience, who was a budding actor at the time.

“…He understood a lot about music, was a great visual artist, and had a sense of self and a calm about him that were just riveting.” – Anthony Kiedis

Kiedis recalled his experience in his 2004 autobiography, Scar Tissue, “I usually felt like the leader in most of my relationships with kids my age but I immediately knew that Hillel was at least my equal, and in fact, knew a lot of things that I didn’t. He understood a lot about music, was a great visual artist, and had a sense of self and a calm about him that were just riveting.”

With Kiedis in the picture, the group became fast friends and bonded over music and casual drug use. Kiedis acted as Anthym’s roadie, and their hype-man for live gigs.

What is This?

Eventually, the band changed their name to What Is This?, switched their sound from hard rock to new wave, and found that original bassist Todd Strassman could no longer keep up.

Slovak had been privately giving lessons to Flea for several months, and once Flea became competent enough, he became Strassman’s replacement. What Is This? continued performing on the LA club circuit, and Flea temporarily left to play bass for the punk band, Fear.

By 1982, Slovak and Irons regrouped with Flea and Kiedis to put together a live act they called Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem while What Is This? was still together. As part of the act, which they’d debuted at the Rhythm Lounge, Slovak, Irons and Flea improvised a punk and funk-inspired instrumental, while Kiedis read a poem aloud that he’d written, called “Out In LA”, as a rap.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The group intended to only perform once, but since their rapport with the audience was so positive, they decided to continue under the name Red Hot Chili Peppers, and even recorded a demo together.

The following year, What Is This? and Red Hot Chili Peppers were both signed to major record deals. What Is This? went with MCA, while the Chili Peppers had a joint deal with EMI America and Enigma Records.

At this point in time, Slovak and Irons were still under the notion that the Chili Peppers were a temporary act, so while they released their self-titled debut in 1984, the two stayed committed to What Is This?, and that band released their debut EP, Squeezed, around the same time.

The Chili Peppers hired drummer Cliff Martinez and guitarist Jack Sherman to fill Irons’ and Slovak’s places. What Is This? were interviewed on the show, Videowave by Tim Sommer, who played the music video for their single, “Mind My Still Have I”.

When Sommer noted the rising popularity of the Chili Peppers, and asked Slovak whether it was wrong for him to leave the group, he responded cheekily, saying, “They may think I made the wrong decision, but no, I didn’t, I made the right one.”

“At one point, Jack even put tape down on the stage and told me that his space was off limits.” – Anthony Kiedis

Ultimately, Slovak joined the Chili Peppers and in 1985, while What is This? was recording their self-titled debut album, Slovak grew disenchanted with their direction. The Chili Peppers were also growing frustrated with Slovak’s replacement, Jack Sherman. While they admired his playing, they were critical of his attitude, with Kiedis mentioning, “At one point, Jack even put tape down on the stage and told me that his space was off limits. Why would you want to cut yourself off from your bandmate, spiritually or physically?”

As Slovak returned to the band, Red Hot Chili Peppers released their sophomore album, Freaky Styley in 1985. It was that same year that What Is This? would break up.

Jack Irons returned to the Chili Peppers and by this point in time, all four band members were addicted to various drugs. For Slovak, that drug would be heroin.

“I became so familiar with the nature of addiction that I knew Hillel was in as deep as me.” – Anthony Kiedis

Slovak was so secretive about his addiction, it got to the point that the other members failed to show much concern, except Kiedis. Kiedis expressed this in Dave Thompson’s 1993 biography on the Chili Peppers, “I became so familiar with the nature of addiction that I knew Hillel was in as deep as me. He was just more in denial. Hillel thought he had power over his dark side.”

In his book, Scar Tissue, Kiedis opened up about Slovak’s aversion to going to rehab, “I took Hillel to a meeting once, but he hated to admit that he had a problem. He hated to admit that somebody could help him, and he was generally shy of crowds.”

By 1987, even with all these difficulties, the Chili Peppers were growing as a band, and continued to refine their unique sound blending funk and heavy metal. It seemed like things were looking up, after some false starts. All 4 members were now actively working in the studio together for the first time.

The group released their third album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, and it would be their most critically and commercially successful at this point. The tour to support the album appeared to go smoothly, but as soon as they returned home, so did their habits.

“…And then both Hillel and I made a beeline for our individual dealers.” – Anthony Kiedis

Kiedis would remember, “We landed at the airport, gave one another a hug, and it was, ‘Great tour, great being with you.’ ‘Call me in a few.’ ‘I’ll be good, you going to be good?’ ‘Yeah, I’ll be good, too.’ And then both Hillel and I made a beeline for our individual dealers.”

By January of 1988, Slovak wrote in his diary that he aimed to, “Begin a drug-free phase of life,” although by June of the same year, he was said to have still been struggling. He expressed to his brother James that he wanted to stop using drugs altogether but it was too late.

Hillel Slovak Dies of Overdose

On June 27, 1988, the guitarist was found dead in his apartment. An autopsy revealed that two days prior, he had died from an overdose.

Guitarist John Frusciante, a longtime fan of the band who was heavily influenced by Slovak’s guitar playing, would be his most prominent successor, and is still in the band to this day. Jack Irons, who was devastated by Slovak’s death, quit the group and was replaced with Chad Smith.

The band’s follow up album, 1989’s Mother’s Milk, was be dedicated to Slovak and a lot of the lyrical themes were more introspective, dealing with the death of the guitarist and the impact of drugs on one’s life.

Slovak’s guitar playing can be heard on the track, “Fire”, a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s tune and the cover booklet of the album feature a painting by Slovak.

In 2012, the Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, and Slovak was posthumously included, with his brother James accepting the induction in his place.

“My thoughts will always be with my beloved brother. A painter, a musician, an intellectual, a hilarious and wild joker, and a lover of his friends…” – Flea

Seven years later, Flea visited the guitarist’s grave, and wrote how he felt in a post on Twitter, “My thoughts will always be with my beloved brother. A painter, a musician, an intellectual, a hilarious and wild joker, and a lover of his friends. He asked me to start playing the bass, changing my life forever, and that’s only one of many ways he influenced my growth. Happy to be sitting by his grave on this sweet and mellow rainy day.”

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