Earlier this month, Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell took to social media to share a health update after it was reported that the band’s guitar tech filled in for him at a Mexico concert. Campbell has long been battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and his treatment plan sometimes forces him to sit out shows with the band.
“Thank you for all the recent messages and support,” Campbell 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 singer Joe Elliot offered a video update following the León, Mexico concert that Campbell was forced to sit out. “We’re in León in Mexico in a bit of an amphitheater,” Elliot said. “It’s 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, John ‘Bond’ Zocco, basically Phil’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.”
Elliot’s full update can be seen below.
