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Sun 16 November 2025 11:03, UK
Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan has discussed his worsening eyesight and admitted that retirement isn’t “far off”.
Gillan, who is now 80, wrapped up an arena tour with Deep Purple in late 2024, which included a huge date at the O2 Arena in London, and the rock legends remain active.
However, in a new interview with Uncut, Gillan has conceded that he is losing his vision which is making life difficult.
He said (per Music News), “It’s one of those things. I’ve only got 30 per cent vision. That won’t get better. It makes life mysterious. The hardest thing is working on my laptop. I can’t see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision – I pick up a line by looking at it sideways. But you find a way. You adapt.”
Gillan then reflected on ageing, noting, “It’s hilarious this growing old thing. It’s a laugh a minute. Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I walk down the road and hear something drop off – clang, there’s something else gone. Nothing’s changed really apart from I can’t pole vault any more. Other than that, things move a little more slowly. But nothing’s changed.”
The rock vocalist then looked ahead to the future of his career, and said he will stop if necessary, sharing, “I think if I lose my energy I’m going to stop. I don’t want to be an embarrassment to anyone.”
He then admitted, “We’re not far off that. It creeps up on you – you don’t really notice.”
Although Gillan does have retirement on the back of his mind, Deep Purple are set to play only their second show of 2025 tonight at the Sport Palace in Tbilisi, Georgia. They will also headline the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on November 20th, and the Mega Star Arena in Kuala Lumper, Malaysia, on November 23rd.
Then, in April 2026, the rock legends will play a series of shows in Japan before returning to Europe for a number of festivals and summer concerts.
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