Glenn Hughes says he is recovering at home after 10-hour heart surgery
The former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath musician said he had an aortic valve replacement after retiring from touring on medical advice in August.
Glenn Hughes, the former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath musician, said on October 16 that he was recovering at home after a 10-hour aortic valve replacement at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles. The update follows his August decision to retire from touring on medical advice, ending plans for a six-week tour.
Hughes said he had spent eight days in hospital and was regaining energy. ‘Each day as I move forward, I am getting my energy back,’ he wrote in an Instagram post quoted by Rolling Stone and Billboard. He thanked his doctor and the medical staff who cared for him. He did not give the date of the operation.
Why Glenn Hughes left touring
Hughes, 75, said in August that health issues had led his medical team to recommend another open-heart operation. In his statement at the time, quoted by Billboard, he said results from MRIs, CT scans and an echocardiogram had alerted the team to the need for surgery. He canceled a planned six-week tour and said he was retiring from the road after roughly half a century of performing.
Hughes described the aortic valve replacement as the same procedure he underwent in 2013. In his new post, he said he was home and recovering.
Hughes’s career with Deep Purple and Black Sabbath
Hughes began as a singer and bassist with the British group Trapeze before joining Deep Purple in 1973, replacing bassist Roger Glover. He played on three Deep Purple albums alongside singer David Coverdale, then pursued solo work, including his 1977 debut album, Play Me Out. His most recent solo album, Chosen, came out in 2025.
He also worked with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi on Seventh Star, a 1986 album that Rolling Stone says was intended as an Iommi solo record but released under the Black Sabbath name. Billboard reported supportive comments from fellow musicians Rudy Sarzo, Frank Bello and Alex Skolnick on Hughes’s recovery post.
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Sources and context
- Ex-Black Sabbath, Deep Purple Singer Glenn Hughes Recovering After 10-Hour Heart SurgeryRolling Stone
- Glenn Hughes Says He’s On the Mend After Another 10-Hour Open-Heart Surgery: ‘All Is Well’Billboard
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.