Def Leppard Guitarist Vivian Campbell Reveals His Cancer Has Returned After Transplant Failed But He Refuses to Slow Down
Vivian Campbell has revealed that his battle with Hodgkin lymphoma has taken another difficult turn.
The longtime Def Leppard guitarist, who has been living with the disease since 2013, recently disclosed that a donor bone marrow transplant he underwent in January 2025 unfortunately did not work as hoped. As a result, Campbell says the cancer has returned and he is continuing treatment to manage it.
The news comes after years of treatment during which the musician has repeatedly refused to let his diagnosis define his life.
Campbell’s transplant did not have the outcome he hoped for
Campbell’s cancer journey entered a new chapter in early 2025 when he temporarily stepped away from Def Leppard performances to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
At the time, the guitarist described the procedure as successful and said he was focusing on the crucial early recovery period.
More than a year later, however, Campbell has revealed that the transplant ultimately did not “stick” and that the cancer has returned.
He told an interview with El Salvador’s Radio YSKL FM that he is continuing treatment and may need another transplant in the future.
Despite the setback, Campbell’s attitude remains remarkably defiant.
“I’m certainly not slowing down”
Rather than retreating from his career, Campbell says the diagnosis has made him even more determined to make the most of his time.
The guitarist continues performing with Def Leppard and Last in Line, while also pursuing another lifelong passion: rally driving.
Campbell explained that he had once dreamed of becoming a race car driver if music did not become his career.
Now, decades into his life as a rock musician, he is managing to pursue both passions.
His philosophy is simple: “life is for the living.”
Campbell has also encouraged people diagnosed with cancer not to allow fear to completely take over their lives.
A battle that began more than a decade ago
Campbell was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013.
For much of his treatment, he was able to manage the disease through immunotherapy. He previously described the experience as an ongoing battle in which one problem could appear just as another seemed to have been brought under control.
In 2023, Campbell revealed that his condition had reached a particularly frightening point and that doctors believed a donor transplant was his best chance of survival.
That led to the January 2025 transplant.
Unfortunately, the treatment did not provide the lasting result everyone had hoped for.
But Campbell isn’t stepping away from music
For Def Leppard fans, the revelation is undoubtedly difficult news.
Yet Campbell’s latest comments are not about retirement or giving up.
They are about continuing.
He remains involved with Def Leppard, continues working with Last in Line and is pursuing his passion for motorsport alongside his medical treatment.
After more than a decade of battling cancer, the guitarist’s message remains strikingly consistent: don’t let fear stop you from living.
His latest revelation may mark another difficult chapter, but Campbell is making it clear that he has no intention of letting the disease write the ending.