Former Black Sabbath and Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes told fans that he is on the mend after undergoing another major heart procedure. “Now Home after an 8 day stay, and a 10 hour open heart surgery operation, called aortic valve replacement, exactly the same procedure I had done in 2013, at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Westwood, LA,” Hughes, 75, wrote in an Instagram post on Friday (Oct. 16).
Hughes praised his doctor, the head of cardiothoracic surgery at UCLA, and the staff and assured fans, “Each day as I move forward, I am getting my energy back. There is only love in my life. There are no mistakes.”
Back in August, Hughes announced that he was retiring from touring effective immediately, calling off a planned six-week tour due to health issues. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said he’d been forced to give up life on the road after half a century on doctor’s advice that he needed heart surgery.
“This past year, I’ve had some health issues. The results from numerous MRIs, CT scans, and an echocardiogram have alerted my medical team, that I need another open-heart surgery,” he wrote at the time. “I really have no option and no choice as health is my number one priority. Grateful to have been chosen with a life full with the gift of music… Thank you for walking beside me.”
Hughes, who began his career as the singer of the British funk rock band Trapeze in the early 1970s, got the chance of a lifetime when he was tapped to replace Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover in 1973, where he sang alongside lead singer David Coverdale on three albums. After the band melted down, Hughes went out on his own, releasing his 1977 solo debut, Play Me Out, the first of more than a dozen solo LPs he’s released. He played with a number of bands throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, including stepping in to sing lead vocals on the 1986 Black Sabbath album Seventh Star.
More recently, after releasing a handful of albums with supergroup Black Country Communion, he joined the rock band The Dead Daisies, stepping in as lead singer on a trio of releases in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
In Friday’s post, Hughes kept a chin-up attitude about his health, writing, “Everything is in its right place. Never believe that there is something wrong in your life. You are where you’re supposed to be. Going through those experiences that are necessary for you right now. When you become angry at yourself, because you don’t like the experiences that you are going through, you are hindering your growth. Rather be grateful, & thankful, for every experience that you’re going through.”
Even though things may feel terrible in your life, he added, he encouraged his fans to be thankful for this experience, wherever the journey takes them. “There is a greater purpose to it,” he said. “All is well.”
He got plenty of support from his hard rock brethren, with Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rudy Sarzo writing, “Love you brother Glenn 🙏🏼❤️🎸,” Anthrax bassist Frank Bello adding, “Get well soon Glenn!! ❤️❤️🩹 and Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick sharing “Inspirational. Feel better and speedy recovery to you, Sir Glenn 🤞🎶🩻” in the comments on Hughes’ post.
He also got words of encouragement from Whitesnake/Osbourne drummer Brian Tichy, Stone Temple Pilots singer Jeff Gutt, the band Rival Sons and SiriusXM Trunk Nation host Eddie Trunk, among others.
Last August, Hughes was singing a different tune when he told Trunk that his work with the rock supergroup Black Country Communion had “reinvigorated” him and that “the word retirement is something I don’t normally say. I’ve got new purpose. I’ve never felt so strong.”
