Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale has announced his retirement – find out more below.
On Thursday (November 13), Coverdale – who also fronted Deep Purple for several years in the 1970s – took to Whitesnake’s official social media pages to share that he was hanging up his boots.
Coverdale said in a video message to his fans: “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the ‘snake, a special announcement for you. After 50 years-plus of an incredible journey with you, with Deep Purple, with Whitesnake, Jimmy Page, the last few years 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.”
“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,” he continued. “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. Once again, I love you with all my heart. Fare thee well.”
The video ends with a montage of Coverdale performing with the band, set to the 2025 remix of ‘Forevermore’. Check it out below.
Prior to forming Whitesnake in 1978, Coverdale replaced Ian Gillan in Deep Purple between 1973 to 1996. Whitesnake went on to enjoy a celebrated career in the ’80s through hit singles like ‘Here I Go Again’, ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Fool For Loving You’.
In 1993, Coverdale teamed up with Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page for the collaborative project ‘Coverdale-Page’.
David Coverdale faced several health setbacks over the years, most recently suffering two rotator cuff tears in 2023 after a fall. The year prior, he revealed that he was dealing with “a persistent upper respiratory infection that affects my ability to perform”.
That infection led to the band pulling out of a North American tour with Scorpions. Whitesnake’s last gig took place at Hellfest in June 2022, while their last album was 2019’s ‘Flesh & Blood’.
Whitesnake’s original guitarist Bernie Marsden died at the age of 72 in August 2023, while guitarist John Sykes – who joined the band in 1984 and left in 1987 – died earlier this year at 65.