Ritchie Blackmore has broken his silence on the health crisis that shut down four Blackmore's Night shows last November — and the 80-year-old Deep Purple co-founder says it was the worst experience of his life, surpassing even a 2023 heart attack that required six stents.
In a candid new interview with Guitar Player magazine, Blackmore described a vertigo attack so severe it hospitalized him mid-tour. "I had a nasty vertigo attack on our last small tour that we did, and I had to cancel," he told the publication. "Despite having heart and back problems, I have never had such a horrible experience as that vertigo attack on our tour. I don't wish that on my worst enemy."
What Happened in November
Last November, Blackmore's Night was mid-way through a six-date U.S. East Coast run when the final four shows — scheduled in Newton, New Jersey; Wilmington, Delaware; Cohoes, New York; and Tarrytown, New York — were abruptly canceled "due to medical reasons."
Blackmore's explanation for what triggered the crisis is grimly specific. A bad hotel stay in Pennsylvania — no heat, damp sheets, and a wedding party keeping him awake all night — he believes set off a chain reaction. "When we did the long drive from Pennsylvania to Newton NJ we were booked into a hotel that had a wedding party going all night in the corridors," he said. "There was no heat in the room and the sheets were still damp. Which I assume culminated in me having a severe migraine attack. I couldn't stop vomiting. The room wouldn't stop spinning and I was extremely dizzy to the point of not being able to stand. Ambulance was called."
The diagnosis: severe vertigo, caused by a virus that attacked his inner ear. "It started off with a virus which apparently went to my ears and upset the balance of the small crystals in the ear canals," he explained.
A Health Picture That's More Complex Than Anyone Realized
The vertigo was just one layer. Blackmore's wife and Blackmore's Night vocalist Candice Night pulled back the curtain on the full picture in a 2025 interview — and it's been a relentless accumulation of issues.
A heart attack in 2023 required six coronary stents. He has chronic back problems from herniated discs that previously required injections before every tour — injections he can no longer take since the cardiac event. Gout has been attacking his feet and is now affecting his fretting hand.
"There's the three main issues with him that are going on," Night told the Iron City Rocks podcast. "He has a heart issue. He had a heart attack a couple of years ago, so we stay on top of that. He's got gout, so that's difficult. It's affecting his feet really badly. And it's starting in his forefinger, so it's hurting the mobility in that, so he just had an injection for that. And his back, of course, which has always been an issue."
Night was equally direct about what makes touring so difficult now: not just the physical strain of performing, but the cumulative toll of airports, security lines, hotel logistics, and sitting for hours. "Gone are the days where you do five shows in a row, including travel," she said. "That's just way too much."
Still In It — On His Own Terms
What stands out in Blackmore's Guitar Player interview isn't just the honesty about the health battles — it's that he's still trying to figure out how to keep playing. He hasn't walked away. He's mapping parameters.
"Since we live on Long Island [New York], I'm hoping we can put some shows together in small theaters where people can come and see us," he said. "That way, I wouldn't have to travel more than an hour."
It's a different vision than the touring circuit of his prime — no transatlantic flights, no multi-city legs, no tour buses. But it's still Ritchie Blackmore looking for the next show rather than writing a retirement letter.
That says something. The man co-wrote "Smoke On The Water," built Deep Purple from the ground up, launched Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio, and spent decades reinventing himself with Blackmore's Night. At 80, with a compromised heart and vertigo history, he's not cashing out — he's negotiating with his own body for one more night on stage.
What Comes Next
No new tour dates have been announced. Night's 2025 statements suggested that doctors had advised Blackmore against flying, and that any return to live performance would need careful management of all three health variables — heart, back, and now the inner ear.
The hope is local shows. Small venues. Short drives. Nothing heroic — just Ritchie Blackmore playing in a theater on Long Island because he still wants to.
For a guitarist who has never done anything small, that restraint might be the most remarkable thing he's accomplished in years.
Fans of Blackmore's work can explore his catalog on Amazon or browse the latest metal news and features for more coverage of rock legends.
