The guitarist revealed a stem cell transplant ‘failed to stick’ after it was carried out in January of last year
Def Leppard star Vivian Campbell has revealed his cancer has returned after a donor transplant failed to work, previously saying it was his “only hope to survive”.
The Belfast-born guitarist, 62, first went public with his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis in 2013 while part-way through an intensive six-month chemotherapy programme.
Campbell had celebrated being in remission last year following a gruelling 12-year fight against the disease, which included stem cell treatment, immunotherapy and a donor transplant. But the musician has now disclosed that the cancer has come back and that he is once again undergoing chemotherapy, The Mirror reports.
“There’s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me. In the winter of 2023, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening,” he told El Salvadorian radio station YSKL, adding, “And I realised at that point that I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive.”
He also revealed the stem cell transplant ‘failed to stick’ after it was carried out in January of last year. “So the cancer has returned, and I’m continuing treatments to manage it”, he explained.
The seasoned guitarist, who began his lengthy career with rock band Sweet Savage in the 1970s before joining heavy metal pioneers Dio in the early ’80s, says music has helped him stay positive through the darkest moments.
“I do think that that’s what helped me, even when I was at a really low ebb with cancer treatment,” he said. “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.”
Campbell has previously told fans he is not afraid of death, deciding to “just live his life” after being diagnosed more than a decade ago. While appearing on the Fueled with Chris Cyr podcast last September, he said: “It made me spend more money because, as Jerry Seinfeld said, ‘you can’t drive money.’
“So as soon as I got…not as soon as, but within a year of having my cancer diagnosis…I went and bought a very expensive Porsche.”
On the same episode, Campbell recalled thinking that it was “a lot of money” but said that he also thought he “could be dead next week” at the time.
“Well, actually, there is a saying in Ireland – ‘you’re a long time dead’. So, I sort of take it to heart. I’m a little bit reckless in that way,” he continued.
“[I] have a lot of faith in the universe, that things will work out.” Speaking about his cancer, he said: “I thought ‘okay, this is the hand I’ve been dealt’. As I see it, you can go one of two routes – you can capitulate to it or you can just live your life. And I decided to do the latter.
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“Mentally, I’m not afraid to die. I don’t wanna die because I’ve got kids and family. I’ve got a lot of people who depend on me, but I’ve never been afraid of it and I just keep pushing at it and keep putting back. And most importantly, I just keep living my life, y’know.”
Last year, in June, Campbell revealed he was “completely in remission” for the first time in more than ten years after going “through the mill” with treatments including chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
He explained: “The cancer kept coming back, and then a couple of years ago, it really got bad. So it was the first time in having to deal with it that I was seriously concerned about it. And the doctors told me really my only chance for a cure was to do a donor transplant, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Campbell joined Def Leppard in 1992 after original guitarist Steve Clarke died of an overdose. The guitarist has also worked with British rock royalty Whitesnake and legendary American singer-songwriter Lou Gramm.
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