Ex Deep Purple Keyboardist Battling Cancer

British musician Jon Lord performed an unforgettable show at the Antique Theatre in Plovdiv in September 2009. Photo by BGNES

Former Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord has officially announced that he is fighting cancer.

In a statement on his website, the musician informs friends and fans that he will quit concerts while in treatment.

"I shall of course be continuing to write music – in my world it just has to be part of the therapy – and I fully expect to be back in good shape next year.", Lord writes.

Lord's team also calls for respect for his need for privacy so that he can spend time with his family (and his music).

Apart from Deep Purple, Lord has also been part of Whitesnake, Paice, Ashton&Lord, The Artwoods and Flower Pot Men.

After leaving Deep Purple in 2002, he started composing classical music and entered into collaboration with with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Lord has visited Bulgaria twice over the past few years, staging a concert in Plovdiv in 2009 and one in Sofia in end-2010.

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