Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has provided a health update on his bandmate, guitarist Vivian Campbell.
Campbell, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013, has been away from the group as he recovers from a recent bone marrow transplant. In a recent conversation with SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk, Alain passed along some positive news.
“He’s doing really good,” Allen reported. “And the latest news is he’s feeling great.”
“I’m just hoping that Vivian can get back out with us as soon as possible,” the drummer continued, cautioning that there still wasn’t an exact timeline for when Campbell would return to performing with Def Leppard. “Just like my situation way back in the day, I think what it is, is we just need to give Viv time to figure things out in his own time. And I think that’s the most important thing. We don’t want to put any kind of pressure on Vivian. We never would. It’s about his comfort level. And if he can be out there with us, then we’re just going to love that.”
READ MORE: Def Leppard Plays First 2025 Show without Vivian Campbell
Trunk noted that Campbell has remained consistently upbeat during his more than a decade battling cancer.
“I think that that’s the thing that gets him through,” Allen noted. “And it amazes me too, that he’s able to rise above, That inspires me. That inspires me to want to go out there. The fact that I have bandmates that are – they’re strong. They’ve got incredible characters. So I’m just really happy that Viv’s on the up and up. And, I’m looking forward – I haven’t seen him in quite a while – so I’m really looking forward to seeing him and just supporting him along his journey.”
Def Lepprad Will Come Out ‘Guns Blazing’ on 2025 Tour
Def Leppard has a busy summer lined up, including an assortment of festival appearances, as well as headlining concerts with Bret Michaels and Extreme opening.
Asked what fans can expect at the shows, Allen said that Def Leppard plans to “come out there guns blazing” with a set list made up largely of their greatest hits.
“The nature of the tour is really centered around festival settings,” the drummer noted. “So I think in that situation it’s good to play music that people really want to hear.”
The Best Song From Every Def Leppard Album
Underneath it all, they are fans of music. That love and belief in music – other people’s as much as their own, and sometimes more – always seems to bring Def Leppard home.
Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
