On this day, December 10, 1971, Frank Zappa was pushed off the stage by jealous boyfriend Trevor Howell.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Presumably not his jealous boyfriend.

Today in Rock History -- December 10
December 10, 2023 by Mitch Michaels

1971, Playing the first of two nights at London’s Rainbow Theatre, in England, Frank Zappa was pushed off stage by jealous boyfriend Trevor Howell. Zappa fell onto the concrete-floored orchestra pit. The band thought Zappa had been killed. He suffered serious fractures, head trauma and injuries to his back, leg, and neck, as well as a crushed larynx, which ultimately caused his voice to drop a third after healing. This accident resulted in him using a wheelchair for an extended period, forcing him off the road for over half a year.

Sun Dec 10, 2023: On this day, December 10, 1971, Frank Zappa was pushed off the stage by jealous boyfriend Trevor Howell.

Sat Dec 11, 2021: On December 10, 1971, Frank Zappa was pushed off stage by jealous boyfriend Trevor Howell.

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Forgot About This Story

There were conflicting reasons.
One was the "making eyes at his girlfriend" thing. But, that didn't make sense because it was a high stage, the orchestra pit was there, and Frank had spotlights in his eyes. Making eye contact with one specific person would be hard.
The guy, who got one year in prison, admitted to doing it because he didn't think Frank was giving him value for his money. If that's the real reason, 12 months seems awfully light for a dangerous sociopath.
Either way, Frank spent a year in a wheelchair & learning to walk again.
Extra fun fact: this was the same tour that included the infamous Montreaux Casino fire, immortalized in Smoke On The Water. They lost all their gear in this fire, and the gear they were using at The Rainbow was rented.