Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell says his cancer has returned and he is continuing treatment after a recent donor transplant failed to work. The Irish musician originally confirmed he was battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, a strain of blood cancer that forms in the lymphatic system and typically affects white blood cells, while a third of the way through a six-month chemotherapy treatment plan in 2013.
Failed Transplant and Return of Cancer
Campbell, 62, announced he was in finally remission last year after turning to stem cell treatment, immunotherapy and a donor transplant in his 12 year fight with the illness, but admits he is now undergoing more chemo after discovering the cancer has returned.
“There’s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me. In the winter of 2023, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening,” he told El Salvadorian radio station YSKL. “And I realised at that point that I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive.”
Revealing the stem cell transplant 'failed to stick' after it was carried out in January 2025, he added: "So the cancer has returned, and I’m continuing treatments to manage it."
Music as a Source of Strength
The seasoned guitarist, who began his lengthy career with rock band Sweet Savage in the 1970s before joining heavy metal pioneers Dio in the early '80s, says music has helped him stay positive through the darkest moments.
"I do think that that’s what helped me, even when I was at a really low ebb with cancer treatment," he said. "The fact that I could still continue to work, that gives me something to live for. Something that you enjoy, that you’re passionate about, that you can wake up in the morning and look forward to. I think that deflects, that takes away from focusing too much on cancer."
The revelation comes after Campbell told fans he wasn't afraid of dying and had decided to "just live his life" following his initial diagnosis over a decade ago. Discussing his cancer battle with the Fueled with Chris Cyr podcast last September, he said: "It made me spend more money because, as Jerry Seinfeld said, 'you can't drive money.' So as soon as I got...not as soon as, but within a year of having my cancer diagnosis...I went and bought a very expensive Porsche."
Previous Remission and Career
Speaking to SiriusXM in June 2025, Campbell said he was "completely in remission" for the first time in more than ten years after going "through the mill" with treatments including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He said: "The cancer kept coming back and then a couple of years ago, it really got bad. So it was the first time in having to deal with it that I was seriously concerned about it. And the doctors told me really my only chance for a cure was to do a donor transplant and that's exactly what I did."
Campbell joined Def Leppard in 1992 after original guitarist Steve Clarke died of an overdose. The guitarist has also worked with British rockers Whitesnake and legendary American singer-songwriter Lou Gramm.
