Vivian Campbell Says His Cancer Has Returned After Donor Transplant Failed

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed that his Hodgkin’s lymphoma has come back after a donor stem cell transplant he underwent in January 2025 failed to take hold. Campbell shared the update on El Salvador’s Radio YSKL FM, saying the transplant “didn’t stick” and that he is now continuing treatment to keep the disease under control.

Campbell said he expects he will likely need another transplant from a different donor within the next few years in hopes of finally beating the cancer for good. He explained that he chose to pursue the donor transplant after a frightening decline in his health during the winter of 2023, when he said the treatment became his “only hope to survive.”

• Campbell first went public with his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.
• He told SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” in June 2025 that he was “completely in remission” for the first time in 12 to 13 years, citing an April 2025 PET scan that showed him “100 percent clean.”
• Before the donor transplant, Campbell had already gone through three rounds of chemotherapy and an earlier stem cell transplant using his own cells that failed to keep the cancer away.
• The treatment he began in early 2025 caused him to miss Def Leppard’s first concert of that year.

What Vivian Campbell Said About Managing the Diagnosis

Campbell, 63, said he considers himself fortunate that his cancer was detected early, which has generally allowed him to treat it as an ongoing condition to manage rather than an immediate crisis. He noted that the winter of 2023 was the one stretch when he genuinely feared the disease could kill him.

He said he has no intention of pulling back from his schedule despite the setback, pointing to his continued commitments with Def Leppard and his side project Last In Line. Campbell also said he has been spending more time rally driving, a pursuit he has been drawn to since childhood alongside his music career.

Speaking to others facing a cancer diagnosis, Campbell said, “fear is inevitable when you’re first told those words,” but urged people to push past that fear rather than let it take over. He added that the key is learning “how to manage it and how to deal with it as best as possible, and just don’t give in.”

Def Leppard’s Touring Plans

Campbell, who is from Northern Ireland and joined Def Leppard in 1992 after previously playing with Sweet Savage, Dio, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, remains part of the band’s plans for a South American tour set for October and November 2026. The trek is scheduled to run through Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina and Chile.

Def Leppard 2026 South American Tour Dates

• October 17: Queretaro, Mexico, Autodromo Queretaro
• October 19: Mexico City, Mexico, Palacio de los Deportes
• October 21: Guadalajara, Mexico, Arena VFG
• October 24: San Salvador, El Salvador, Estadio Cuscatlan
• October 27: Alajuela, Costa Rica, Parque Viva
• October 30: Quito, Ecuador, Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa
• November 2: Bogota, Colombia, Movistar Arena
• November 5: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Movistar Arena
• November 8: Santiago, Chile, Movistar Arena

More Info

• "I did a donor transplant. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick. So the cancer has returned." Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell’s cancer has returned, but he’s refusing to live in fear | Louder / Classic Rock
• Vivian Campbell’s Cancer Has Returned After Transplant Failure | Ultimate Classic Rock
• Def Leppards Vivian Campbell reveals his cancer has returned following failed transplant | Far Out Magazine
• VIVIAN CAMPBELL Says His Cancer Has Returned Once Again: Im Continuing Treatments To Manage It | Blabbermouth