Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed that his cancer has returned following a failed donor stem cell transplant.
Campbell, 63, the Northern Irish rocker who joined the band in 1992, shared the update during an interview on El Salvador’s Radio YSKL FM. The musician, who was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013, explained that his condition rapidly worsened in late 2023, forcing him to undergo the critical procedure in January 2025.
“There’s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me,” Campbell said during the broadcast. “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,” he continued. “Unfortunately, it didn’t stick. So the cancer has returned. And I’m continuing treatments to manage it.”
Campbell indicated that he will likely need to undergo another transplant with a different donor in the coming years. Despite the setback, he made clear that his diagnosis will not interfere with his professional commitments or his passion for live performance.
“In the meantime, I’m certainly not slowing down,” Campbell said. “I’m doing as much with my life as possible, not just with Def Leppard and with Last In Line. I’m also rally driving, ’cause I always wanted to do that… 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.”
The guitarist also offered encouragement to others facing serious medical diagnoses, urging them not to let fear dominate their response to the news.
“Life is for the living,” he added. “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.”
In the viral moment that sparked widespread attention across music outlets, Campbell’s candid discussion of his mortality and his determination to maintain his active lifestyle resonated with fans who have followed his health journey since his initial diagnosis over a decade ago. The guitarist previously reached remission after his 2013 Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, making the 2023 recurrence and subsequent transplant failure a particularly devastating turn. His openness about the emotional toll of receiving the diagnosis, coupled with his refusal to curtail his touring or hobbyist racing, has drawn praise from supporters.
Def Leppard is set to continue their upcoming tour dates later this year.