Def Leppard Guitarist Vivian Campbell Announces Cancer Return

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has disclosed that his cancer has returned, following a bone marrow transplant he underwent in January 2025 to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

A Shocking Setback After a Brief Remission

Campbell, who has played guitar for the British rock band since 1992, first received his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis in 2013. According to an interview with the radio station Radio YSKL FM reported by the British newspaper The Sun, the 63-year-old musician revealed that the disease is back after he previously announced he was cancer-free in June 2025.

The Escalation That Prompted a Donor Search

Campbell detailed the escalating severity of his condition during the winter of 2023, noting that the rapid progression of the illness prompted him to seek a donor transplant.

"In the winter of 2023, I got very scared by what was happening and the pace at which it was progressing," Campbell told Radio YSKL FM, according to The Sun. "And it dawned on me at that moment that I needed to get a transplant from a donor."

Looking Ahead to Future Medical Intervention

Following the procedure in January 2025, Campbell faces additional medical intervention. He stated that he will "probably have to do another transplant with a different donor within a few years," expressing hope that a subsequent procedure will achieve a lasting cure.

The Healing Power of the Stage

Despite his ongoing health hurdles, Campbell intends to keep performing with Def Leppard, a band he joined in 1992. He explained that his work provides essential stability and a distraction from the rigors of cancer treatment.

"I think you have to keep going," Campbell said, according to The Sun. "And I think that’s what helped me, even when I was really at a low point with the cancer treatment."

He described his career as something "worth living for, something you enjoy, that you’re passionate about, that you can look forward to in the morning," adding that it offers a welcome reprieve from focusing entirely on his diagnosis.