Former Deep Purple singer Glenn Hughes recovering after 10-hour heart surgery
The former singer and bassist of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath has received a new aortic valve. After eight days in the hospital, he is back home, he said on Instagram.
Archive image · Photo: MaxVaudous / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Glenn Hughes, formerly the singer and bassist of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, has undergone 10-hour open-heart surgery. His aortic valve was replaced, Rolling Stone reported on Oct. 16, 2026, citing an Instagram post by the musician. It was his second such procedure; the first took place in 2013. Hughes said he is back home after eight days at the University of California’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles. He thanked his doctor and the entire team.
Hughes wrote that he is regaining his strength with each passing day. Earlier this year, he canceled a planned six-week tour and announced his retirement from the stage. At the time, he cited ongoing health problems and his doctors’ advice to undergo heart surgery again.
Hughes founded the hard rock band Trapeze and joined Deep Purple in 1973, where he appeared on three albums. His first solo album, “Play Me Out,” followed in 1977. He later worked with Gary Moore and Tony Iommi; “Seventh Star,” released in 1986, was planned as a solo project but was released under the Black Sabbath name at the record company’s insistence. His most recent solo album, “Chosen,” was released in 2025.