When the most important work tool suddenly disappears: This is what happened to Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Heart and other artists.
Guitars, hard drives and entire trucks full of instruments – artists like Jonny Greenwood, Paul McCartney, Sonic Youth and Beyoncé had to see their valuable equipment disappear. These ten cases show that even celebrities are not safe from brazen thefts – and what stories lie behind the stolen treasures.
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1. Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead
During Radiohead’s 1995 tour of the United States, a rental truck containing the band’s equipment was stolen – including Jonny Greenwood’s guitar – an Ebony Frost Fender Telecaster Plus – and amplifiers. The instrument was part of his main guitar setup early in his career (“The Bends” era). The luck: A few years later, the guitar was recognized by a fan and returned to Greenwood.
2. Sonic Youth
On July 4, 1999, a truck containing Sonic Youth’s touring equipment was stolen in Orange County, California. Many guitars, basses, amps, amplifiers and drum kits were stolen and the vehicle was found empty. It wasn’t until years later that at least some guitars were found.
For Sonic Youth, this loss was existential – their instruments were custom-made, modified and used in many songs. The theft forced them to continue with spare gear and old equipment, which had both logistical and creative implications.
3. Beyonce
Complete horror: In July 2025, two suitcases with hard drives, five USB sticks with unreleased material, laptops and tour plans were stolen from a tour setup in Atlanta – the vehicle belonged to one of Beyoncé’s choreographers and a few things that were supposed to remain secret were stolen like that…
4. Paul McCartney
In 1972, Paul McCartney’s iconic Höfner 500/1 bass was stolen from a van used to transport equipment. But: Over 50 years later, this instrument was found again and returned.
5.Heart
Shortly before Heart’s 2025 tour start in Atlantic City, two of the band’s “irreplaceable” instruments – a custom baritone Telecaster (Nancy Wilson) and a vintage 1966 Gibson EM-50 mandolin (Paul Moak) – were stolen. This meant that some of their unique sound characteristics were lost.
6. Twenty One Pilots
In 2018, the group had some of their live equipment stolen from a transport vehicle during their “Bandito” concert series in the US – including drum pads, synthesizers and technical equipment crucial to their live shows. Parts of the equipment later reappeared in online advertisements, which strengthened the suspicion that it had been a targeted theft. And 2025: Twenty One Pilots were stolen again in the fall – they are pleading online for the stolen items to be returned.
7. Reezy
In 2021, the Frankfurt rapper reported that, among other things, a laptop, a laptop bag and an external hard drive were stolen from his parked car – the hard drive contained his new album and various music projects for which there was no backup copy. Reezy said it was about “nothing less than his existence.”