Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has delivered a heartbreaking update on his long-running cancer battle, revealing the disease has returned despite undergoing a donor transplant he once described as his “only hope to survive.”
Campbell, 63, shared the news during an Aug. 12 interview with El Salvador-based radio station YSKL, more than a year after receiving the transplant in January 2025.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t stick,” Campbell said. “So the cancer has returned, and I’m continuing treatments to manage it.”
The rock veteran has been battling Hodgkin lymphoma for more than a decade.
Campbell first publicly revealed in 2013 that he was undergoing chemotherapy for the rare blood cancer. Looking back, he said there was one point when he truly feared the disease could kill him.
“There’s only been one time that I felt it was gonna kill me,” Campbell said. “In the winter of 2013, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening.”
That frightening period eventually led Campbell to conclude that a donor transplant was his best chance of staying alive.
“It was my only hope to survive,” he said.
Campbell has not publicly specified exactly what type of transplant he received. Bone marrow and stem cell transplants can be used in some patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, with healthy stem cells administered to help rebuild the body’s blood-producing system.
Despite the disappointing outcome of his 2025 transplant, Campbell is not giving up.
He said another transplant could potentially be in his future as doctors continue trying to keep the cancer under control.
For Campbell, one of the biggest things helping him through the ordeal has been music.
The guitarist said touring and performing give him a reason to keep moving and stop him from dwelling on his illness.
“The fact that I could still continue to work, that gives me something to live for,” he said. “Something that you enjoy, that you’re passionate about, that you can wake up in the morning and look forward to.”
And Campbell certainly has not been slowing down.
He continues performing with Def Leppard and is also working on new music with Last in Line, the band he formed with fellow musicians connected to his earlier days with Dio.
Campbell has also played with Whitesnake during his decades-long career.
“I’m certainly not slowing down,” he said. “I’m doing as much with my life as possible.”
The guitarist said his cancer diagnosis has actually made him more determined to experience everything he can.
Rather than allowing the disease to dictate what he does, Campbell said he has tried to live even more fully since being diagnosed.
He has watched other cancer patients become afraid to travel, eat certain foods or leave their beds because of their illness.
“I’ve never felt that way,” Campbell said. “I’ve always felt like I’m going to continue to live my life as much as possible. In fact, even more so after getting a cancer diagnosis.”
Campbell also acknowledged how fortunate he was that his cancer was discovered relatively early.
A persistent cough ultimately helped lead to his diagnosis, and he said his journey has largely been about controlling the disease rather than allowing it to take over his life.
“It’s always been more about managing my cancer,” he said.
Campbell joined Def Leppard in 1992 following the death of original guitarist and songwriter Steve Clark, who died in 1991 at just 30 years old.
He has remained a key member of the legendary British rock band ever since, performing alongside Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen and Phil Collen.
Def Leppard has spent decades as one of rock music’s biggest acts, earning induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in October 2025.
Campbell was still onstage earlier this year, performing with the band at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in February 2026.
And even as his cancer battle enters another difficult chapter, Campbell made clear he has no intention of stepping away from the life he loves.
For the rocker, the diagnosis has only made him more determined to “tick all the boxes” while he still can.
