Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is currently dealing with "three major" health problems. This information was revealed by Candice Night , his wife and vocalist for Blackmore's Night .
Iron City Rocks podcast , to promote her new solo album, Sea Glass , Candice was asked about Blackmore's Night returning to performing live [transcription via Blabbermouth ].
“One of the things that’s so good about Ritchie is that he’s able to recognize things. He’s very in tune with his own body and is aware of everything. And when he’s not, I nudge him to get aware of it, which he hates, but at least someone is doing it — you know, like eating well and things like that.”.
“There are three main problems with him,” she explained. “He has a heart problem. He had a heart attack a few years ago, so we’re monitoring that. He has gout, so it’s difficult. It’s affecting his feet a lot. And it’s starting in his index finger, impairing his mobility, so he just had an injection. And his back, of course, which has always been a problem. He hasn’t had any back injections since he had the heart problem. So, it’s all kind of working together. So, it’s difficult—it’s difficult for him. But he’s reached a point now where—he’s very smart when it comes to things like that.”
Ritchie Blackmore may return to performing live
Regarding Ritchie being able to tour at this stage of his life, Candice said: “It’s not so much the plane trip. Honestly, it’s the discomfort before even getting on the plane and after getting on, and the whole feeling of being seated during the flight. So that will affect his back and everything else. And the jet lag that stresses the heart. All those things. Waiting in those lines when you have to get to the airport and New York and have to take a transatlantic flight, and then disembarking and going back through security and customs and everything else, and all that, it really takes a toll on a human being — on a healthy , so forget about someone who is 80 years old going through those problems.”
She continued: “And he just said, ‘How about we do some shows at Blackmore’s Night in the fall?’ So, of course, I was very excited about that. Now I need to get in touch with the agent. But he prefers to go to places where he can drive. He takes the night off the next day. Gone are the days when you did five shows in a row, including travel. That’s too much. For anyone, it’s hard to do that. And we don’t have tour buses or private jets.”.
“If we go somewhere, I go by car. So it’s like a mini road trip, but not exactly because we just need to get to the place and rest that night. I hope it’s close enough to the place. You get there, come back, and have a good night’s sleep that night. I hope they’re not doing construction or maintenance at the hotel or that the maids don’t wake you up at seven in the morning, and then you go to the next place and have a whole day of travel. So it’s a much more relaxed way to do it. But honestly, I’d rather take something than nothing.”.
Ritchie Blackmore suffered a heart attack in 2023
Speaking to TotalRock [via Blabbermouth ], Candice explained her husband's health condition, which involved having six stents – devices inserted into arteries to improve blood flow – placed in his arteries. The former Deep Purple also suffers from gout and joint problems.
Because of this, he is unable to travel by plane and is currently only performing shows in the United States.
“Ritchie was informed by his cardiologist that he cannot get on a plane. He had a heart attack about a year and a half ago. He has six stents.”
“I can hardly believe he’s turning 80 on April 14th, which is crazy, he doesn’t act like it yet. Soon, health issues catch up with you. So we have to make sure he stays happy and healthy. And he’s dealing with gout and some arthritis issues. And, of course, his back has always been a problem. So it’s getting harder.”
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