Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell 'Completely In Remission For The First Time'

06-14-2025

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell revealed in a new interview that he is "completely in remission for the first time" following a bone marrow transplant from a 21-year-old donor.

Campbell shared the news during an appearance on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk. He said, "I've been very lucky, actually. I got an early diagnosis for Hodgkin's lymphoma 13 years ago, 12 years ago, something like that. [Went] through the mill with all sorts of chemo and immunotherapy and combination therapies, and 10 years ago I did an autologous stem cell transplant, which means using my own stem cells. That didn't work.

"The cancer kept coming back, and then a couple of years ago, it really got bad. So, it was the first time in having to deal with it that I was seriously concerned about it. And the doctors told me really my only chance for of cure was to do a donor transplant. And that's exactly what I did.

"Starting last summer during our tour, I started doing more chemo in preparation for it. And then right after the tour, they started giving me very hardcore chemo leading up to the transplant.

"I was supposed to start after Thanksgiving, and I lost my donor 10 days beforehand. So, that was a kick in the nuts. But I was very fortunate that they found me another one in December. And on New Year's Eve, I went into hospital.

"I was in for about three and a half weeks, and I did what has turned out to be a really, really successful transplant. So, I did a PET scan in the middle of April and I'm a hundred percent clean, completely in remission for the first time in 12 or 13 years. And I am obviously overjoyed. You couldn't ask for more than that."

Campbell said of the donor, "There are 10 genetic markers, and this donor was a 10 out of 10. A young man, actually. I don't get to know who he is for a couple of years, but a 21-year-old man. And they always prefer a youthful donor. Obviously, I'm gonna buy him a beer... or two or three."