Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan hinted that retirement may not be far off, despite his commitment to a European tour for 2026.
In a new interview with Uncut, the legendary singer, 80, revealed that his vision has declined to a point that he may have to step down from performing. “I've only got 30 percent vision," Gillan told the outlet, per Music News. “That won’t get better. It makes life mysterious.”
Gillan revealed that he has to rely on peripheral vision to use his laptop, but noted that he has learned to “adapt" to the situation. "But it’s achingly tiresome. It takes a long time to do the work,” the music icon added.
“I think if I lose my energy, I'm going to stop [touring]," Gillan continued. "I don't want to be an embarrassment to anyone. We're not far off that. It creeps up on you; you don't really notice."
Gillan first joined Deep Purple in 1969 and was the co-songwriter and voice behind the band’s signature hits “Smoke on the Water,” “Highway Star,” “Woman from Tokyo,” “Space Truckin,’” “Perfect Strangers,” and “Knockin’ at Your Backdoor.” While he left Deep Purple in 1973, Gillan returned to the band in the 1980s, per their official website. He has also released several solo albums.
In 2017, Gillan told Antihero magazine that he felt his best when on tour. “I don’t find any stress touring,” he said at the time. “In fact, I was going for a checkup the other day, and I was telling my doctor that’s when I feel best, on the road. …It keeps you right on top of things. Intellectually, and performing every night because …, it’s got improvising about 25% of the time. You have to stay sharp to keep up with that.”
But as he approached 80 years old, Gillan shared what would signal the end of the road for him. “As soon as you start feeling unable to deliver at that [high] level – of course, you adjust, of course, you adapt and make do the best you can,” he told Ultimate Classic Rock in 2024. “But when the energy level goes, that’s time to stop because then it gets embarrassing, and nobody wants that. But so far, so good.”
Deep Purple’s Mad In Europe tour features shows scheduled in Japan, Norway, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy through October 2026.
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