Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse officially quits band to care for his ill wife

nme.com:

Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse has officially quit the band to care for his wife, Janine, who has aggressive cancer.Morse confirmed in March that he’d be temporarily stepping away from live duties. “At this point, there are so many possible complications and unknowns, that whatever time we have left in our lives, I simply must be there with her,” he said in a statement.However, he claimed at the time that he was “not leaving the band” and told fans he hoped to “re-join the tour” at some point.

Simon McBride replaced Morse in Deep Purple’s live line-up.Today (July 23), Morse confirmed in a statement that he won’t be returning. “I’ve already played my last show with Purple back in Florida on the Rock Legends Cruise [in February],” he wrote.“I wish to thank the listeners who so strongly supported live music and turned every show from a dress rehearsal to a thundering, exciting experience.

I’ll miss everybody in the band and crew but being Janine’s helper and advocate has made a real difference at many key points.“As Janine adjusts to her limitations, she is able to do many things on her own, so we will try to play some shorter nearby concert tours with friends to, hopefully, get both of us out of the house!”An important band announcement has been made today.

Please go to the Official Deep Purple Facebook to readhttps://t.co/eupBJf1u3N— Deep Purple (@_DeepPurple) July 23, 2022Morse continued: “I know Simon has the gig nailed already, but I’m now handing over the keys to the vault which holds the secret of how Ritchie’s ‘Smoke on the Water’ intro was recorded.