Chadwick Smith (born October 25, 1962 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States) is a drummer in the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. He joined the band in 1989 with John Frusciante when guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin drug overdose, and Jack Irons left because of his friend dying. Chad has stayed in the band since then, playing the drums for every single album up to today.