David Coverdale, best known as the frontman of Whitesnake and earlier Deep Purple, has announced he’s retiring from music at the age of 74.
The legendary rocker made the announcement in a YouTube video this week, confirming it was time to “call it a day” after over five decades in the industry.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the Snake, a special announcement for you,” he began.
Watch the video above.
“After 50 years-plus of an incredible journey with you – with Deep Purple, with Whitesnake, Jimmy Page – the last few years it has been very evident to me that it’s time really for me to hang up my rock ‘n’ roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans.”
He then made a joke about his hair, adding: “And as you can see, we’ve taken care of the lion’s wig but it’s time for me to call it a day.
“I love you dearly. I thank everyone who’s assisted and supported me on this incredible journey: all the musicians, the crew, the fans, the family. It’s amazing.
“But it really is time for me to just enjoy my retirement, and I hope you can appreciate that.”
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The video ends with a montage of Coverdale’s Whitesnake career, set to the band’s song Fare Thee Well.
Coverdale has had a huge career.
He was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll hall of Fame with the band in 2016.
The rockstar also teamed up with Jimmy Page, the legendary guitarist of Led Zeppelin, on the 1993 album Coverdale-Page.
He then founded Whitesnake in 1978, with the band soaring to success with songs such as Here I Go Again and Is This Love.
They continued to tour for decades after that.
In 2023, Coverdale spoke about the band’s future on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” where he discussed the difficulty of touring in light of his health.
“I had a fall recently, which I don’t think helped my… I’ve got two torn rotator cuffs, which would certainly compromise my performance,” he explained.
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“My heart goes out to Steven Tyler after the recent Aerosmith tour cancellation. It’s so awful, getting older and having this burden of responsibility to try to be as good as you can so you don’t disappoint anybody.
“I know how he feels and I sent my love to him through our friends, mutual friends.”
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