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He had his reasons

Ritchie Blackmore, House of Blues Chicago, Oct 17 2009; photo: Nick Soveiko CC-BY-NC-SA

The following message from Ritchie Blackmore was posted today. November 23, 2025, on his Facebook page:

Ritchie would like to explain his reason for having to postpone the recent shows. “Very quick history, for those who have nothing better to do: I have a long history of lumbar and neck herniated discs. Consequently, I would have back injections before a tour to help me over the pain. Recently, I have acquired debilitating migraines. They come and go very quickly. When I see the visual disturbance of these ocular migraines, I know they are coming.
When we did the long drive from Pennsylvania to Newton, NJ, we were booked into a hotel that had a wedding party going all night in the corridors. There was no heat in the room and the sheets were still damp. Which I assume culminated in me having a severe migraine attack. I couldn’t stop vomiting. The room wouldn’t stop spinning, and I was extremely dizzy to the point of not being able to stand. Ambulance was called. I was taken to hospital, and they gave me CAT scans and other tests. They were very gracious. The doctors came to the conclusion that my official diagnosis was severe vertigo. The results of this went on for days on end. I am now following up how serious these migraines are with various doctors. When one tours, you have a lot of people who have to be healthy. Unfortunately, I was the one who got hit this time. Hope to see you all one day again when I’m healthy. All the best, Ritchie, a guitarist.”

Thanks to BraveWords for the heads-up.



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