"We've taken care of the lion's wig": Deep Purple and Whitesnake legend David Coverdale announces retirement

David Coverdale has announced his retirement. The singer, who hasn't performed live since the abandonment of Whitesnake's The Farewell Tour MMXXII after a show at France's Hellfest in 2022, made the announcement in a video shared on Instagram.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the Snake, a special announcement for you," says Coverdale. "After 50 years-plus of an incredible journey with you – with Deep Purple, with Whitesnake, Jimmy Page – the last few years it has been very evident to me that it’s time really for me to hang up my rock'n'roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans.

“And as you can see, we’ve taken care of the lion’s wig. But it’s time for me to call it a day. I love you dearly. I thank everyone who’s assisted and supported me on this incredible journey: all the musicians, the crew, the fans, the family. It’s amazing. But it really is time for me to just enjoy my retirement, and I hope you can appreciate that. Once again, I love you with all my heart."

Since the cancellation of Whitesnake's Farewell tour, Coverdale has overseen the repackaging of several Whitesnake albums, including Restless Heart, Greatest Hits, Good To Be Bad, The Purple Album and Forevermore, as well as the Access All Areas: Live collection and a set of solo albums, Into The Light, released under the Whitesnake banner.

However, Coverdale's announcement does not clarify whether work on other reissue projects, such as the prospective repackaging of the Coverdale-Page album with Jimmy Page, will be abandoned.

"Jimmy and I have been talking about it, and we'll have the original album remastered," he told Eonmusic in 2020. "We've got a bunch of songs we didn't release, and I videoed most of the writing and recording scenario, and all the way to the shows in Osaka and stuff, so, there's a shit load of content.

"One of the things I suggested to him, I said, 'Why don't you do a Jimmy Page mix on the record, and I'll do a David Coverdale mix, and let the fans just get Jimmy's perspective, and mine?'"