Vivian Campbell, the guitarist for Def Leppard, has revealed that he is undergoing treatment for cancer again following an unsuccessful donor transplant.
The rock musician, 63, first revealed in 2013 that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which then returned in 2015 before more treatment.
During an interview with El Salvadorian radio station YSKL, Campbell said: ““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.
“And I realised at that point that I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive.”
Campbell revealed that he got a stem cell transplant in January 2025, but it “didn’t stick”.
“So the cancer has returned, and I’m continuing treatments to manage it,” he explained.
The guitarist said that he hopes to undergo another transplant operation within a few years, and intends to keep performing with Def Leppard as the heavy metal band continue to release new music and tour.
Campbell told the interviewer that he tries to keep “moving forward” and preoccupy himself with projects.
“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 joined Def Leppard in 1992, following the death by overdose of previous guitarist Steve Clark in 1991.
Formed in Sheffield in 1977 by singer Joe Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, guitarist Pete Willis, and drummer Tony Kenning, Def Leppard went on to become one of the most popular music artists of all time.
The band are currently midway through an international tour, having recently performed in stadia around the UK.
Their next tour dates are in the US , before travelling to Mexico and Central and South America in October and November.
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