Ritchie Blackmore Won’t Perform In Wheelchair, Says Wife: He Doesn’t Want To Be Remembered Like That

Candice Night, wife and musical partner of legendary Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, recently opened up about her husband’s health challenges and suggested he would likely not perform publicly if it required him using a wheelchair. Speaking in a new interview with Eonmusic primarily about her solo album Sea Glass, Night provided insights into the 80-year-old guitarist’s current condition.

Blackmore, who celebrated his 80th birthday on April 14th, is facing several health hurdles, according to Night. “Right now Ritchie is having a quite a few medical issues,” she revealed. “Believe it or not, he’s going to be 80… which is mind boggling, because he doesn’t look and he certainly doesn’t act it still. But you know at that age, some medical stuff starts catching up with you, and he actually had a heart attack about a year and a half ago, and he’s got six stents in his heart at this point. And we’re battling arthritis and some gout issues.“

These conditions, combined with a persistent back problem, significantly impact Blackmore‘s ability to travel and perform. Night explained the difficulties: “He’s still got his back problem that he’s had, so travel is difficult for him because of all that sitting.“ The physical demands of being on stage are also a concern.

Regarding the possibility of performing with physical aids, Night shared her thoughts on what Ritchie‘s perspective might be: “And standing on stage, even standing with the guitar is tricky, although I do see a lot of people even younger than him at this point in the industry, showing up in wheelchairs. I don’t think he wants to be thought of like that or remembered like that.“

While acknowledging the value fans find in seeing veteran artists perform regardless of physical limitations (“I think it’s great that people still get to see those people; I would still go hear them…“), Night indicated Blackmore might prefer to preserve the memory of his prime performing years.

Travel restrictions are currently in place, further limiting possibilities for live appearances with his current medieval-folk project, Blackmore‘s Night. “Maybe if we can get some of these medical issues under control, maybe I can get him back on a plane, but as for right now, they actually warned him a couple days ago not to fly,” Night stated, adding a hopeful note: “So, who knows? You know, put positive energy, out there in the universe, and hope that maybe we can get him back on there.”

Blackmore, renowned for crafting iconic riffs like “Smoke On The Water,” hasn’t performed with Deep Purple since 1993 but did revive Rainbow for select shows between 2016 and 2019. For now, his health remains the primary focus, influencing any potential return to the stage.

You can read the full interview at Eonmusic.