Campbell cancer in remission again

Vivian Campbell has revealed his cancer is in remission again, after an earlier all-clear report proved to be wrong.

And the Def Leppard guitarist is determined not to get too excited after his earlier disappointment.

The Def Leppard guitarist was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma early last year, and announced in November that his course of treatment had been successful. In May he had to confirm: “The remission was a little bit premature. I don’t know if the cancer came back, or it never totally went away. I kind of took that ball and ran with it – and unfortunately it turned out to be premature.”

Campbell reports from the band’s current US tour with Kiss: “I’m currently in Boston and I had a scan on Tuesday morning. It shows the cancer is in remission. Great news – but I’m trying not to get too excited as I heard that same phrase last year.

“The plan is to do a stem cell transplant as soon as the tour is finished. However, to keep me in remission, doctors have recommended I do a third round of chemo. So I’m back in hospital, all hooked up and doing my rock’n’roll drugs. Keef would be most proud!”

Meanwhile, Last In Line, the former Dio lineup featuring Campbell, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, Claude Schnell and vocalist Andrew Freeman, have released an unmixed clip of brand-new track Devil In Me via their Facebook page. It’s their first original work since gathering in 2012 to perform the material they co-wrote with late frontman Ronnie James Dio. The album from which the band take their name was released 30 years ago in July.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.