Legendary Rock Singer, 81, Hospitalized After Medical Emergency, Tour Dates Cancelled

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Fans of legendary rock band Deep Purple are hoping for the best after some disturbing news has emerged about frontman Ian Gillen.

On Saturday, October 31, the British rockers shared a post via Instagram to announce that the band’s two upcoming shows had been cancelled, and revealed the troubling reason why.

‘Medical Emergency’

“With great disappointment, Deep Purple must announce that they are unable to perform as scheduled tonight at the QI Arena (Leipzig) and tomorrow evening at the Sporthalle (Hamburg). This comes as a result of a medical emergency involving Ian Gillan, which has resulted in his current hospitalization,” reads the band’s post, referencing the band’s 81-year-old frontman.

“We understand that this announcement comes at short notice and share the disappointment of all our wonderful fans that we are unable to perform in Leipzig and Hamburg. Deep Purple and their team are focused on finding a suitable time to reschedule both these shows,” the post continued, adding that tickets for the scrapped shows will be valid when those shows are rescheduled.

“With the greatest love and respect… Deep Purple x,” the band signed off.

The post contained no information specifiying details of the “medical emergency” that led to Gillen’s hospitalization.

‘SPLAT!’ World Tour

Deep Purple is in the midst of its “SPLAT!” world tour, which kicked off in early August and is scheduled to extend through to December.

As fans know, Gillen has had a long and somewhat tumultuous history with Deep Purple, replacing original frontman Rod Evans in 1969.

The addition of Gillen to the band sparked what fans have dubbed the “Mark II” lineup of the band, with the singer fronting Deep Purple on what are considered to be their finest albums” “Concerto for Group and Orchestra” (1969), “Deep Purple in Rock” (1970), “Fireball” (1971) and “Machine Head” (1972). Gillen also co-wrote and sang on the band’s most iconic song, the rock anthem “Smoke on the Water.”

Gillen quit the band in 1973 amid friction with guitarist Richie Blackmore. He was replaced by Glenn Hughes, who recently revealed he was retiring from touring in order to undergo open-heart surgery.

Gillen rejoined the band in 1984, reinstating the classic “Mark II” lineup. Once again, however, tensions between Gillen and Blackmore led the singer to resign in 1989.

Gillen rejoined the band in 1992 for Deep Purple’s 25th anniversary, which included a tour and a new album, 1993’s “The Battle Rages On.” Gillen has remained with the band ever since.

‘The Heaviest Deep Purple Album In Many Years’

Deep Purple’s current tour is named for the group’s latest album, “SPLAT!”

In a press release accompanying the album’s release, the band described “SPLAT!” as “the heaviest Deep Purple album in many years.”

As Gillen shared (via Classic Rock), “Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very ‘now’ version of Deep Purple as it was in the ’70s. I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with ‘Highway Star,’ ‘Smoke On The Water,’ ‘Lazy,’ the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from ’69 to ’73.”