Deep Purple Ian Gillan successful procedure recovery, Digi Mart USA News: Less than a week after Deep Purple canceled the remaining shows of its European tour due to vocalist Ian Gillan’s illness, the 81-year-old singer revealed that he has undergone a successful “procedure” and is currently resting before returning to the road.
Earlier today (Saturday, November 7), Gillan wrote on social media: “Dear friends, I had a procedure yesterday which was successful. I now have to rest, in order to make a complete recovery and ensure that I’m as fit as can be before getting back to work.” He added: “Thanks everybody for your patience and understanding.
I really do appreciate it and apologize for all the inconvenience.”
Gillan and his Deep Purple bandmates have not provided any additional information about what is ailing the musician, who has fronted the group during several stints after first joining Deep Purple in 1969.
The canceled shows included four stops in Germany, as well as gigs in the Netherlands, four shows in France and five U.K. shows, including what was intended to be the final stop on the European tour on November 25 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Deep Purple is currently scheduled to embark on a six-date Latin American tour in early December.
In a July 2026 interview with Paul Cashmere of Australia’s Noise11.com, Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover spoke about the possibility of the hard rock legends finally calling it quits, a decade after they announced their “The Long Goodbye” tour. Glover said that keyboardist Don Airey, when the album “InFinite” came out in 2017, replied to a question about whether it would be the last album by saying, “I thought the last album was gonna be the last album.”
“We ain’t gonna stop,” Glover insisted. “We’re not gonna have a final tour, a final gig and make a hoopla about it.
Although that was actually Steve Morse’s suggestion years ago, which is why we started calling it ‘The Long Goodbye’ tour. Well, ‘The Long Goodbye’ got longer and longer, and we decided to ditch that in the end.”
“I can’t imagine doing a final gig, with all the hoopla involved,” Glover explained. “The emotion, the place, the fans, the sorrow, et cetera, it would be too much to bear.
And I think we all feel the same. We’re just gonna carry on till we can’t.
That’s it.”
In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left Deep Purple to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He has since been replaced by Simon McBride.
Last fall, Gillan was asked by Jono and Nats of Dubai 92’s “The Big Breakfast” whether there was “an end in sight” to the group’s six-decade career. He responded that no one had really thought it through, adding: “As life gets on, the end is nearer than the beginning, that’s for sure.
But at the moment we’re getting a lot of joy from what we’re doing. I think the band is rejuvenated since Simon joined us.” He said human dignity would likely be the deciding factor: “Once you start going out and embarrassing people with your inability to do what you’ve done all your life, then it’s time to stop.”
The now 81-year-old Gillan told Uncut magazine that he was unsure how much longer he and his bandmates would be able to keep performing live. “I’ve only got 30 percent vision.
That won’t get better,” he said. “The hardest thing is working on my laptop.
I can’t see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision.”
Gillan said he is grateful he still has his sense of humor. “It’s hilarious this growing old thing.
It’s a laugh a minute,” he said. Contemplating retirement, he added: “I think if I lose my energy I’m going to stop.
I don’t want to be an embarrassment to anyone.”
Deep Purple’s new album, “Splat!”, arrived on July 3 via earMUSIC. It is the band’s sixth collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin, who has helmed every Deep Purple album since 2013’s “Now What?!”.
The release has been described in a press release as “the heaviest Deep Purple album in many years.” Uncut called it “distilled, high-octane Purple at its finest,” and Classic Rock praised it for delivering “everything that makes Deep Purple one of the greatest acts in hard rock.”
