Deep Purple have postponed the rest of their 2026 European and UK tour “until further notice” after singer Ian Gillan was taken to the hospital in Leipzig over the weekend. In a statement posted to the band’s social media on Monday, November 2, Gillan said he had hoped to be cleared to finish the run, but that his doctors and management advised against it. In his words, “there are very serious risks involved” in carrying on.
No diagnosis has been made public, and no replacement dates have been announced.
From two shows to the whole tour
The trouble began on Saturday, October 31. Hours before Deep Purple were due on stage at the QI Arena in Leipzig, the band announced that it was “unable to perform as scheduled tonight” because of a medical emergency involving Gillan, who was in the hospital. The next night’s show at the Sporthalle in Hamburg was pulled as well. At that point the band said tickets would remain valid for rescheduled dates, which suggested a short pause rather than the end of the tour.
Two days later, Gillan explained what had happened in his own words. He thanked fans for “all the good wishes and support over the last few days,” and said he “had a medical problem whilst in Leipzig which required urgent attention at the hospital.” He added that he had wanted to “hang on until the end of the tour,” before conceding that the risk was too great. He signed off simply: “Cheers, IG.”
According to Louder, the European and UK leg alone accounts for 15 shows that will not go ahead as planned. They include Dortmund, Berlin, Frankfurt and Nuremberg in Germany; Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome; four French dates in Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon; and a UK run that was due to take in Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and two London nights, at the Eventim Apollo on November 24 and the Royal Albert Hall on November 25.
What about South America and Mexico?
This is where the reports part ways. Deep Purple were booked to head to Latin America in December, with shows in São Paulo, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City between December 5 and December 19.
Louder lists all six of those December dates among the postponed shows. Ultimate Classic Rock, by contrast, reports that the Latin American dates are still on the calendar and that it is not yet clear whether they will go ahead. Gillan’s own statement refers only to “the European/UK tour,” and Clash and MNPR Magazine both confine their reports to the European leg. Until the band says otherwise, fans holding December tickets should treat those shows as uncertain rather than canceled.
There is a smaller wrinkle in the wording, too. Blabbermouth’s headline says the band “cancels” the remainder of the tour, while the statement it quotes, and every other outlet, uses “postpone.” Nothing has been said about refunds for the newly affected dates.
A singer who has been honest about his limits
Gillan turned 81 this summer, Ultimate Classic Rock notes, and he has never pretended the road gets easier. A year ago he told Uncut that his eyesight had badly deteriorated. “I’ve only got 30 percent vision. That won’t get better,” he said, as reported by Blabbermouth. In the same interview he drew his own line on retirement: “I think if I lose my energy I’m going to stop.”
Until last week, there had been little sign of that. Deep Purple have spent 2026 on one of the busiest schedules of their late career. The band booked a North American summer run and later extended the world tour through November. This year also brought Ritchie Blackmore back on stage alongside his old bandmates, a moment many fans thought they would never see. The photo heading this article was taken in Milan on October 17, barely two weeks before Leipzig, and shows Gillan in full voice.
That is part of what makes this weekend’s news land so hard. This is a band that has outlasted lineup changes, feuds and more than half a century of touring. This time the call came from a hospital.
What happens next
For now, the honest answer is that nobody outside the band knows. Gillan’s statement gives no timeline, and the phrase “until further notice” leaves room for anything from a few months’ rest to something more final. Fans with tickets for the German shows have already been told those tickets will carry over. Fans with UK, French and Dutch tickets are waiting on the same news, and those holding tickets for December are waiting to learn whether their shows are affected at all.
What is clear is that Gillan chose to put his health first, and said so plainly. “I’m very sorry about any inconvenience this may cause,” he wrote, “but it’s in the best interest all round.”
We’ll update this story when Deep Purple announce new dates or share more about Gillan’s recovery.
