Devastating: Top singer says cancer has returned after donor transplant failed

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Vivian Campbell, 63, confirmed that his Hodgkin lymphoma has returned after a donor stem cell transplant he underwent in January 2025 failed to produce lasting results

- The rock legend, who first received his cancer diagnosis back in 2013, said he may need yet another transplant within the next few years

- Despite the grim health update, Campbell revealed he has no plans to slow down and continues to tour and perform with Def Leppard

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has opened up about a deeply personal setback, revealing that his cancer has come back after a donor stem cell transplant failed to deliver the cure doctors had hoped for.

Speaking to Radio YSKL FM in El Salvador, Campbell explained that he underwent the donor transplant in January 2025 following a frightening period in late 2023 during which the cancer appeared to be accelerating.

Doctors and the guitarist himself had hoped the procedure would finally end his more than decade-long battle with the disease.

"I did that in January of '25. I did a donor transplant. Unfortunately, it didn't stick. So the cancer has returned," Campbell said.

Decade of fighting Hodgkin lymphoma

Campbell first received a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013 and has been dealing with the illness on and off ever since.

The cancer resurfaced in 2015, leading to a prolonged period of treatment that has run alongside his career with one of rock music's most iconic bands.

Now managing the cancer's return through ongoing treatment, Campbell acknowledged that another transplant from a different donor may be necessary within the coming years.

"I'll probably have to do another transplant within a few years with another donor to try and see if maybe that would cure me," he said. "But in the meantime, I'm certainly not slowing down."

Music as a lifeline

Rather than retreating in the face of the diagnosis, Campbell has leaned on his music career as a source of strength and purpose.

He described being able to continue working as something that gives him a genuine reason to push through the most gruelling periods of his treatment.

"The fact that I could still continue to work, that gives me something to live for," he said, adding that having a passion he could wake up looking forward to has kept him grounded through everything.

He also used the interview to send an encouraging message to others dealing with a cancer diagnosis, urging them not to surrender to fear.

"Life is for the living," Campbell said, calling on people in similar situations to face their fears and keep moving forward.

The guitarist joined Def Leppard in 1992 following the death of founding guitarist Steve Clark and has been a member of the band for well over 30 years.

The group remains active on the touring circuit, with upcoming shows in the United States and a planned Latin American tour later in the year.

For Campbell, staying on stage is clearly about more than just the music; it is part of how he continues to define his life on his own terms, regardless of what his diagnosis may bring next.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.