Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed that his cancer has returned after a failed transplant. The veteran rocker had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013, but had gone into remission before the cancer came back.
The topic came up during an interview with El Salvador’s Radio YSKL FM (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), when Campbell was asked about how his initial cancer diagnosis changed his perspective on life.
“Well, I think you have to keep moving forward,” he responded. “And I do think that that’s what helped me, even when I was at a really low ebb with cancer treatment. The fact that I could still continue to work, that gives me something to live for, something that you enjoy, that you’re passionate about, that you can wake up in the morning and look forward to. I think that deflects, that takes away from focusing too much on cancer.”
He added, “Unfortunately, I have met people in my life who, when they’ve gotten a cancer diagnosis, they’ve only focused on that. And they think, ‘Oh, I can’t do anything. I need to stay in bed. I can’t eat this. I can’t do that. I can’t go there.’ I’ve never felt that way. I’ve always felt like I’m gonna continue to live my life as much as possible. In fact, even more so. After getting a cancer diagnosis, it amplifies that desire to tick all the boxes, to do the things you wanna do. But I also consider myself very fortunate because I caught my cancer early. So, it’s always been more about managing my cancer.”
It was at that point that Campbell disclosed the unfortunate news that the cancer had come back.
“There’s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me,” Vivian continued. “In the winter of 2023, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening. And I realized at that point that I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive. And that’s what I did. I did that in January of ’25. I did a donor transplant. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick. So the cancer has returned. And I’m continuing treatments to manage it. I’ll probably have to do another transplant within a few years with another donor to try and see if maybe that would cure me. But in the meantime, I’m certainly not slowing down. I’m doing as much with my life as possible, not just with Def Leppard and with [my other band] Last in Line. I’m also rally driving, ’cause I always wanted to do that. So, I’ve been doing that more and more, ’cause I love cars and I love driving. And as a child, I thought, ‘If I don’t play guitar for a living, I’m gonna be a race car driver.’ So, I’m very, very, very fortunate and blessed that I get to do both.”
He concluded, “So, yeah, life is for the living. And I encourage everyone to look after their own health. And if you are unfortunate enough to get a cancer diagnosis to overcome the fear. Fear is inevitable when you’re first told those words. But once you get over that, you gotta realize just how to manage it and how to deal with it as best as possible, and just don’t give in.”
Campbell missed select shows in 2024 and 2025 due to his health. Def Leppard currently have a Hollywood, Florida gig set for October 15th (pick up tickets here), followed by a Latin American tour.
Watch Vivian Campbell’s full interview with Radio YSKL FM below.
