Whitesnake Lead Singer David Coverdale Retires After 50 Years in Rock Music

David Coverdale announced his retirement in a video message on YouTube. The 74-year-old British singer confirmed that he's stepping away. "After 50 years-plus of an incredible journey with you, with Deep Purple, with Whitesnake, Jimmy Page, um, the last few years has been very evident to me that it's time really for me to hang up my rock and roll platform shoes and my skintight jeans ... It's time for me to call it a day," he said.

The British-born singer also thanked the people who supported him. The video ended with a newly remixed version of "Fare Thee Well" from the 2011 album, Forevermore.

Coverdale joined Deep Purple in 1973 as the replacement for vocalist Ian Gillan. He appeared on three albums with the group in 1974 and 1975. These included Burn, Stormbringer, and Come Taste the Band.

He launched a solo career in 1977 and started Whitesnake in 1978. The band released 13 albums. Their self-titled 1987 record included hits like "Here I Go Again," "Still of the Night," and "Is This Love."

Whitesnake performed its most recent show in June 2022 at Hellfest in Clisson, France. The band canceled the remaining European tour dates because of health challenges affecting several members, including Coverdale. 

He suffered from a brutal sinus infection that dragged on for seven months. "This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I've [ever] had," he said, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. "For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying ... steroids." The vocalist also dealt with two torn rotator cuffs and arthritis.

Whitesnake released its last studio album, Flesh & Blood, in May 2019 through Frontiers Music Srl. Coverdale said that he plans three to five more years of studio projects, but he'll stop performing live.