VAN HALEN’s hit song “Panama” almost ended the life of one of television’s most popular characters, Peter Griffin.

In the April 26 Family Guy episode titled “Coma Guy,” Peter admits he’s never read a book in his life. Disgusted by this fact, his wife, Lois, sends Peter to the local library to borrow George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Naturally, Peter gets mixed up and instead listens to VAN HALEN’s classic 1984 LP, becoming obsessed with “Panama” in the process.

In true Family Guy fashion, Peter’s addiction to the song goes way beyond normal fandom. He starts wearing spandex costumes similar to David Lee Roth, driving erratically and at one point even leads police on a high speed chase.

When Peter’s arch nemesis the giant chicken challenges him to a drag race, the overweight father of three throws on “Panama” and puts the pedal to the metal.

However, a brief distraction causes Peter to swerve off the road and slam into a tree, leaving him in a coma.

Over the course of Family Guy's long television run, the series has made a habit of utilizing songs as major plot points. THE TRASHMEN’s “Surfin’ Bird,” KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite,” TOTO’s “Africa,” JOURNEY’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and the B-52’s “Rock Lobster” are just some of the many classic tracks which have been featured on the show. 

Though “Coma Guy” was the first time VAN HALEN played a pivotal role in a Family Guy episode, it wasn’t the band’s debut appearance on the show.

A 2009 episode titled “Road to the Multiverse” featured the group’s song “Drop Dead Legs” in a scene depicting “Hot Meg” from a parallel universe. Attentive viewers would have also caught a visual gag at the band’s expense in 2017. In the episode "Cop and a Half-Wit," Peter declares he's gotten into great shape since working out with his Dave Matthews punching bag. However, when he decides he needs something more annoying, he swaps it out for a David Lee Roth punching bag.