Ritchie Blackmore unable to tour following heart attack
Candice Night, the wife of former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, has revealed that he suffered a heart attack around 18 months ago that has prevented him from touring.
In recent years, Blackmore has kept a low profile since reuniting with Rainbow in 2016 for a series of concerts. Now, Night has shared that the iconic guitarist is unable to travel by plane following a heart attack which has left him with six stents.
In a new interview with Total Rock, Night explained: “Ritchie has actually been told by his cardiologist not to get in a plane. He had a heart attack about a year and a half ago. He’s got six stents.”
Despite Blackmore’s heart attack leaving him unable to travel by plane, Night says her husband remains the picture of health, noting, “I can’t believe he’s gonna be 80 on April 14th – which is crazy…he doesn’t look it, still doesn’t act it. But eventually, medical things wind up catching up with you.”
Night continued: “I’ve seen people younger than him in wheelchairs on stage doing what they do… I think he probably doesn’t want people to see him that way.”
She also understands fans’ desire to see him perform again, stating, “From a fan’s perspective, I would think people would just be happy to be under the same roof with him and listen to him play whatever he comes up with.”
However, logistically, due to Blackmore’s health condition, he won’t be returning to the stage any time in the near future, adding, “So we kind of have this discussion or argument – I’ll say ‘discussion’ – all the time! But he was just recently at his cardiologist, and they said, ‘Let’s put travelling by plane on hold.’ … Hopefully, we’ll get that all straightened out, and that’ll change.”
Blackmore is yet to directly discuss his heart attack. Most famously, he had two spells in Deep Purple, initially between 1968 and 1975, before returning in 1984 for a nine-year spell ahead of his exit in 1993.
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