{"id":2104591,"date":"2026-08-21T11:49:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T08:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2104591"},"modified":"2026-08-21T11:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T08:49:57","slug":"def-leppard-guitarist-vivian-campbell-reveals-cancer-has-returned-after-failed-transplant-just-dont-give-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2104591","title":{"rendered":"Def Leppard Guitarist Vivian Campbell Reveals Cancer Has Returned After Failed Transplant: \u2018Just Don\u2019t Give In\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2240167998-e1787310795372.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tDef Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed that he is once again fighting cancer. In an interview with El Salvadorian station YSKL, the 63-year-old musician discussed his philosophy for keeping a positive, hopeful attitude after revealing in 2013 that he was battle Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma, which he said returned in 2015 and yet again recently.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tDef Leppard\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me,\u201d\u00a0Campbell said of his diagnosis. \u201cIn 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 \u2026 I did that in January of \u201925 .\u2026 Unfortunately, it didn\u2019t stick. So the cancer\u00a0has<\/em>\u00a0returned, and I\u2019m continuing treatments to manage it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Phoebe<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tPhoebe Bridgers, KATSEYE Bag First No. 1s In Australia\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"DMA'S\"<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\t‘We Know What We Want’: With a New Recording Studio and Label Deal, DMA’S Are Just Getting Started\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Weezer<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\n

\t\t\t\t\tWeezer’s Golden Era Has Arrived: Stream The ‘Gold Album’ Now\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tCampbell said he plans to try another transplant within the next few years with a different donor to see if that will stick, but in the meantime, he is going to keep performing with the \u201cRock of Ages\u201d band as well as his side project, the Last in Line, and racing rally cars, a lifelong obsession. \u201cI love cars and I love driving,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd as a child, I thought, \u2018If I don\u2019t play guitar for a living, I\u2019m gonna be a race-car driver.\u2019 So I\u2019m very, very, very fortunate and blessed that I get to do both.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tThe key, Campbell told the station, is to keep \u201cmoving forward\u201d and stay busy. \u201cAnd I do think that that\u2019s what helped me, even when I was at a really low ebb with cancer treatment. The fact that I could still continue to work, that gives me something to live for, something that you enjoy, that you\u2019re passionate about, that you can wake up in the morning and look forward to,\u201d he explained. \u201cI think that deflects, that takes away from focusing too much on cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to the Mayo Clinic, Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system and is highly treatable and often curable by using chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and bone marrow transplant.<\/p>\n

\n\tCampbell, who logged time in Ronnie James Dio\u2019s band, Dio, as well as Whitesnake and the British new wave metal band Sweet Savage, joined Def Leppard in 1992 following the death of founding guitarist Steve Clark.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe observed that some people who get a diagnosis focus just on the cancer and nothing else, while he has been determined to keep living his life \u201cas much as possible. In fact, even more so. After getting a cancer diagnosis, it amplifies that desire to tick all the boxes, to do the things you wanna do. But I also consider myself very fortunate because I caught my cancer early. So, it\u2019s always been more about managing my cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tConcluding with a message that \u201clife is for the living,\u201d Campbell, who was forced to miss some 2024 and 2025 shows due to health issues, said he just encourages everyone to keep an eye on their health. \u201cAnd if you are unfortunate enough to get a cancer diagnosis to overcome the fear,\u201d he said. \u201cFear is inevitable when you\u2019re 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\u2019t give in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDef Leppard are slated to play the Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. on Oct. 15, followed by dates in Mexico and Central and South America in October and November.<\/p>\n

\"Billboard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/rock\/def-leppard-guitarist-vivian-campbell-cancer-return-1236321771\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2240167998-e1787310795372.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed that he is once again fighting cancer. In an interview with El Salvadorian station YSKL, the 63-year-old musician discussed his philosophy for keeping a positive, hopeful attitude after revealing in 2013 that he was battle Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma, which he said returned in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2104591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2104591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2104591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2104591\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2104591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2104591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2104591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}