“Vivian is recuperating from cancer surgery and he’s doing very well”: Def Leppard issue update on absent guitarist Vivian Campbell
Def Leppard have let fans know how guitarist Vivian Campbell is doing after he had to sit out their tour due to illness.
Campbell was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013 and was receiving immunotherapy for some years. Last week, he underwent a bone marrow transplant.
The band also shared footage of their recent show in Mexico which they played without Campbell. Phil Collen’s guitar tech John Zocco filled in.
READ MORE: “A lot of rock guitar players don’t really listen to the rest of the band – it’s very self-absorbed”: The trick Phil Collen uses to create groove in Def Leppard
“We’re in Leon in Mexico in a bit of an amphitheatre,” says frontman Joe Elliott in the video. “It’s a kind of a one-off gig and we’re doing it a man down as Vivian is not here. Vivian is recuperating from cancer surgery and he’s doing very well, but he’s in a bubble he’s not allowed to travel.
“So John Zocco – basically Phil [Collen’s] guitar tech – has manfully stepped up to the plate because he’s a phenomenal player himself and he can sing a bit as well. So, rather get some stranger in that we don’t know, he’s doing it, which is fantastic. We have every confidence that it will go swimmingly until our boy Vivian is back on the stage with us.”
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Campbell also shared his own message. “Thank you for all the recent messages and support,” he wrote. “As you all may know, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma several years ago. I recently had a bone marrow transplant as part of my treatment plan, and it’s safe to say that thus far it’s been a very successful transplant! I just have to keep my head down and my spirits up for the next 100 days of primary recovery.”
Def Leppard’s next show isn’t till May, so it remains to be seen whether Campbell will be well enough to perform then.
The post “Vivian is recuperating from cancer surgery and he’s doing very well”: Def Leppard issue update on absent guitarist Vivian Campbell appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
