Metal News

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RITCHIE BLACKMORE Suffered A Heart Attack 'About A Year And A Half Ago': 'He's Got Six Stents', His Wife Says

Candice Night, who has been married to Ritchie Blackmore for 17 years but has been together with the legendary DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW guitarist for 36, spoke to Dawn Osborne of TotalRock about the possibility of Ritchie returning to Europe in the not-too-distant future for live shows with their long-running project BLACKMORE'S NIGHT. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "As far as flying anywhere right now, Ritchie has actually been told by his cardiologist not to get in a plane. He had a heart attack about a year and a half ago. He's got six stents. And I can't believe he's gonna be 80 on April 14th, which is crazy, but he doesn't look it, still doesn't act it, but eventually medical things wind up catching up with you. So we've gotta make sure we keep him happy and healthy. And he's dealing with gout and some arthritic things. And, of course, his back has always been an issue for years. So it's getting harder for him — it's tricky — but, hey, I've seen people younger than him in wheelchairs on stage doing what they do. So I think he probably doesn't want people to see him that way. I see the other perspective — from a fan's perspective, I would think people would just be happy to be under the same roof with him and listen to him play whatever he comes up with. So, we kind of have this discussion, or argument — I'll say discussion — all the time. [Laughs] But he was just recently at his cardiologist and they said, 'Let's put traveling by plane on hold.' So, hopefully we'll get that all straightened out and that'll change. But I'll let you guys know if it does."

Coronary stents are primarily used to treat coronary artery disease, a condition where plaque buildup narrows or blocks the arteries supplying blood to the heart. By inserting stents for the heart, doctors can effectively restore blood flow and alleviate symptoms.

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Thank you all for these fantastic Years but every journey comes to an end. This time Metal = OFF. Thank you for the support friendship & beers