Deep Purple legend Glenn Hughes retires from touring due to heart problems

Legendary vocalist and bassist Glenn Hughes, best known for his time in Deep Purple, has announced he is stepping away from live performing. As the musician explained on his official website, doctors are pushing for another heart operation following a series of tests, including an MRI, CT scan and echocardiogram.

"Last year I started having health issues. The results of numerous tests showed my medical team that I need another heart operation. I really have no other choice, since my health is priority number one. I'm grateful I chose a life filled with the gift of music. Thank you for being with me," Hughes wrote.

A 1991 heart attack and a battle with addiction

Back in 2014, Hughes revealed he had been diagnosed with a heart murmur as a child, admitting he was lucky not to have faced serious cardiac issues sooner — despite his well-documented struggles with alcohol and drugs throughout the 1970s and '80s.

"On Christmas Day 1991, I had a heart attack," he told Classic Rock magazine in 2016. "That's when I realised how close I'd come to dying. I knew I needed to get in the car and have my girlfriend drive me to the hospital. I told the doctors very clearly: I'd overdone it with drugs. And then I passed out."

From Deep Purple to the Czech band Monkey Business

Glenn Hughes was born on 21 August 1951 in Cannock, England. In the music world he's known by the nickname "The Voice of Rock." In the 1960s he fronted the band Finders Keepers, later performing with the funk-rock outfit Trapeze. From 1973 to 1976, alongside David Coverdale, he was a member of Deep Purple.

Over the course of his career, he recorded with Black Sabbath, Tommy Bolin, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Lynch Mob and many others, as well as releasing a string of solo hard-rock albums flavoured with funk, soul and blues. Between 2004 and 2005, Hughes took part in recording the album Kiss Me on My Ego by the Czech band Monkey Business, and later contributed to their album Twilight of Jesters? (2009), collaborating with the musicians both in the studio and on stage.

Hughes' last public performance took place on Saturday in Rancho Mirage. Performing under the banner Kings of Chaos, he was joined on stage by star friends — Bon Jovi guitarists Richie Sambora and Phil X, Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, vocalists Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon and Jack Blades of Damn Yankees, plus drummer Matt Sorum, known for his work with Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz