Ex-Black Sabbath Frontman Announces Retirement From Touring Ahead of Open-Heart Surgery
Glenn Hughes, the former Black Sabbath frontman and Deep Purple bassist, has announced he is retiring from touring ahead of another open-heart operation. The 74-year-old said his health must take priority after medical tests indicated surgery was necessary, ending a live career that has spanned 58 years.
Hughes had been due to undertake a six-week US tour in March featuring songs from his album Chosen and his wider catalogue, but cancelled it in January. He joined Deep Purple in 1973, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2016, and later fronted Black Sabbath during the mid-1980s; he also urged social-media users to respond with kindness to his announcement.
- Glenn Hughes is retiring from touring for health reasons.
- The 74-year-old requires another open-heart operation.
- His planned US tour had already been cancelled.
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Glenn Hughes is a British rock singer and bassist whose career began in the late 1960s. He became widely known after joining Deep Purple in 1973, contributing to the band’s music during a period when it was one of the best-known hard rock groups.
He later worked with many musicians and bands, including a short spell as lead singer for Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s. Black Sabbath and Deep Purple are influential British rock bands, associated with the development of heavy metal and hard rock.
Touring is a major part of many rock musicians’ work, involving extended runs of live shows in different cities and countries. Hughes’s decision brings to a close decades of live performances alongside a career that has included solo records and collaborations.