Ian Gillan has been hospitalised after a medical emergency, forcing Deep Purple to call off shows in Leipzig and Hamburg. The band announced the cancellations on Saturday, the day of the first concert, with the second due the following evening, and gave no details of the 81-year-old singer's condition.

Dortmund's Westfalenhalle is currently listed as the band's next scheduled performance on 3 November. However, Deep Purple has not confirmed whether the concert will proceed as planned.

What the Band Has Said

Deep Purple were due at Leipzig's QI Arena on 31 October and Hamburg's Sporthalle on 1 November. Both shows are to be rescheduled and tickets remain valid. No cause has been disclosed. Dortmund's Westfalenhalle is next, on 3 November, followed by Berlin on 4 November.

The group said it could not perform because of 'a medical emergency involving Ian Gillan', which had resulted in his hospitalisation. It added that it and its team were working to find a suitable time to reschedule both dates, and that existing tickets would be valid for the new ones.

The statement was posted on social media on Saturday. The band apologised for the short notice and said it shared the disappointment of its fans. Beyond the band's announcement, no further details about the nature of the emergency or Gillan's condition have been publicly confirmed. New dates for Leipzig and Hamburg have not been announced, which is hardly unusual at this stage.

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Ian Gillan Hospitalised Mid-Tour as Splat! Dates Continue

Deep Purple are touring behind Splat!, their 24th studio album, which was released on 3 July through earMUSIC. It is the band's sixth collaboration with the producer Bob Ezrin, and a press release described it as the heaviest Deep Purple record in years. Gillan had been on stage as recently as 17 October, when the band played the Unipol Forum in Assago, near Milan.

The band's published schedule continues to list Frankfurt on 6 November and Nuremberg on 7 November, followed by dates in Amsterdam, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon. Deep Purple has not announced any further postponements. The European leg is due to finish at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 25 November, before a run through Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Mexico in December.

The wider tour is listed as continuing until a final concert in Poland in June 2027. The band has not said whether any later date is affected. Both cancelled concerts belonged to the Splat! World Tour, which began its summer European run in Finland.

Earlier Comments About His Eyesight

Gillan spoke candidly about his health in November 2025, at the age of 80, telling Uncut he had only '30 per cent vision' and that it would not improve. He said the hardest part was working on his laptop, where he picks out text with his peripheral vision. He also said retirement was not far off if he lost his energy.

Gillan subsequently reassured fans that he had no immediate plans to retire, saying he would continue performing until he no longer had the strength to do so. Deep Purple later announced an extensive touring schedule for 2026.

In July, he clarified those remarks to The Independent. He said he had meant he would stop when he felt he lacked the strength, adding that he does not sing through his eyes. The band has not linked the latest emergency to his eyesight.

Gillan joined Deep Purple in 1969, departed in 1973 and returned in 1984. He was among the songwriters behind 'Smoke on the Water', which appeared on the band's 1972 album Machine Head. As of Monday 2 November 2026, there is no update on his condition, and the Dortmund show is still listed for Tuesday.

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