Vivian Campbell Has Cancer, Def Leppard Guitarist Continuing Tour
Vivian Campbell is not letting cancer slow him down along the Def Leppard tour this summer. The famed guitarist announced Monday that he has Hodgkin's lymphoma and has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
"I feel fortunate that my cancer sent me an alarm in the form of 'the cough that wouldn't quit,'" Campbell said in a statement.
Despite the disease and having four more months of chemotherapy ahead of him, 50-year-old Campbell said that he would be hitting the road with Def Leppard during a tour that will kick off on June 21, according to the Associated Press.
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The brief tour will start with a show at the Hellfest music festival in France before wrapping up in Canandaigua, New York on July 17.
Campbell has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992 along with Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen and Phil Collen as the band's longest-standing line-up.
The iconic British heavy metal band are well known for their hit songs "Love Bites," "Pour Some Sugar On Me," "Hysteria," and "Women," among countless others. The band is among the world's best-selling music artists and has sold over 100 million albums worldwide.
Before joining Def Leppard, Campbell was a member of bands Dio and Thin Lizzy.
Campbell is the latest musician to announce a battle against cancer. In April, Anastacia announced having the disease for a second time.
Unlike Campbell, the 44-year-old performer was forced to cancel her upcoming tour as the "I'm Outta Love" singer gears up for another round of treatments in order to fight the disease.
"I feel so awful to be letting down all my amazing fans," Anastacia posted to Facebook at the time. "It just breaks my heart to disappoint them.
