A statue of John Bonham was installed overnight in his home town of Redditch to mark what would have been the drummer’s seventieth birthday.

A new statue has appeared overnight in Redditch. It’s paying tribute to the Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, was was born in the town and would have been 70 today: pic.twitter.com/2qS4fTxaP5 — BBC H and W (@bbchw) May 31, 2018

A tweet from sculptor Mark Richards, who designed the statue, said that the statue was installed overnight.

Delighted that my memorial sculpture to John Bonham was installed over night in Redditch town centre. Thanks to all who helped make this happen. #johnbonham #johnbonhammemorial #johnbonhambirthday #redditch pic.twitter.com/VG3HOr2ubl — Mark Richards (@markxrichards) May 31, 2018

Plans for the statue were approved in October

Redditch Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously approved a plan the statue in October. Councillor Matthew Dormer told LedZepNews on the evening of October 11 that the planning committee had unanimously approved the plans for the statue. He said he thought the statue would be be a “great thing” for Redditch.

John Bonham’s sister, Deborah Bonham, told the BBC that she was “absolutely thrilled” at the news.

After years of campaigning, John Bonham's sister Deborah has finally got permission for a memorial to him in Redditch town centre. pic.twitter.com/FjfUTd2x8a — BBC H and W (@bbchw) October 11, 2017

She also reportedly said that all of the money for the memorial had been raised.

John Bonham's sister says all the money now raised for the memorial and what is left over will fund Teenage Cancer Trust nurses for Redditch https://t.co/bG66nrPE9e — BBC H and W (@bbchw) October 11, 2017

Here’s a photo of the planning committee during the meeting in which it decided to approve the proposal:

Tonight councillors in Redditch are deciding whether to give the go ahead for a statue to John Bonham in the town centre. pic.twitter.com/ksOXEnOd7M — BBC H and W (@bbchw) October 11, 2017

LedZepNews dug out the proposal documents in September and found images of what the planned statue will look like.

First of all, here’s where the statue is located:

The area highlighted with the bold red line is Mercian Square in Redditch town centre.

And here’s what the sculpture, which has been designed by artist Mark Richards, looks like:

Here’s the back of the sculpture:

The memorial is made out of bronze and covered in anti-graffiti paint. It’s estimated to weigh up to 2,500kg.

The application included images of a small-scale model of the proposed statue:

The application suggested that a group named “Friends of the John Bonham Memorial” could be set up to help maintain the statue.

Additionally, the proposal suggested that a yearly “Bonham Bash UK” event could be held in Redditch on the weekend closest to Bonham’s May 31 birthday. It sounds similar to the Bonzo Bash event that takes place in the US every year.

Intriguingly, a Warner Music executive has written a letter in support of the statue. Tim Fraser-Harding, who lists his title as “President, Global Catalogue, Recorded Music” said in his letter to Redditch Borough Council that the statue’s unveiling would be part of “a series of high-profile events” held to mark Led Zeppelin’s fiftieth anniversary in 2018.

View the full letter from Fraser-Harding below: