Ritchie Blackmore’s wife, Candice Night, has confirmed the legendary Deep Purple electric guitar legend suffered a heart attack last year, and is unlikely to perform in Europe in the near future.
During an interview with TotalRock, Night was asked about the possibility of her and Blackmore taking Blackmore’s Night – the pair’s folk-rock project – to Europe.
Night went on to reveal they currently have six US dates lined up, but are currently unable to commit to any European shows owing to the fact Blackmore has been told he can’t fly by his cardiologist.
Explaining the medical order, Night continues, “He had a heart attack about a year and a half ago. He’s got six stents. I can’t believe he’s going to be 80 on April 14th, which is crazy – he doesn’t look it, still doesn’t act it – but eventually medical things wind up catching up with you.
“So we’ve gotta make sure we keep him happy and healthy. And he’s dealing with gout and some arthritic things. And, of course, his back has always been an issue for years. So it’s getting harder for him. It’s tricky.
“But, hey, I’ve seen people younger than him in wheelchairs on stage doing what they do,” she adds. “So I think he probably doesn’t want people to see him that way.
“I see the other perspective. From a fan’s perspective, I would think people would just be happy to be under the same roof with him and listen to him play whatever he comes up with. So, we kind of have this discussion, or argument – I'll say discussion – all the time.
“But he was just recently at his cardiologist and they said, ‘Let's put traveling by plane on hold.’ So, hopefully we’ll get that all straightened out and that’ll change. But I’ll let you guys know if it does.”
Blackmore’s Night will perform six shows across April and May. Dates and tickets can be found on the band’s official website.
Recently, Blackmore began sharing stories from across his career on his YouTube channel. Tales include the time he bought his first Gibson from amp pioneer Jim Marshall, jamming Little Richard with George Harrison at a Deep Purple concert, and disturbing Eric Clapton by cranking amps in a hotel at 3am.
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