What made Whitesnake’s David Coverdale call it quits? Rock legend bows out with a heartfelt goodbye

Whitesnake's David Coverdale is calling it quits, saying that it's time for him to "just enjoy my retirement." The leader of the hair metal band made his heartfelt goodbye to his fans in a caption-less video shared on Instagram on Thursday, November 13.

Coverdale can be seen sitting, sipping a glass of wine while delivering his retirement news. He said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the Snake, a special announcement for you. After 50 years plus...the last few years have been very evident to me that it's time really for me to hang up my rock and roll platform shoes and my skin-tight jeans."

Coverdale is 74 years old and has been in the band since he founded it in 1978. He's also been performing onstage for years before Whitesnake even began as a part of a rock group called Deep Purple. While David Coverdale didn't share any specific reason why he's retiring from music, he thinks that "it's time." He said:

"It's time for me to call it a day. I love you dearly. 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."

Coverdale ended his farewell video with a tribute to the band's song Fare Thee Well. During their peak, Whitesnake achieved one No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, Here I Go Again, and another song in the Top 10 Hits, Is This Love. They also have five other songs that charted on the Hot 100 during their heyday in the '80s and '90s.

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David Coverdale's health issues previously interfered with Whitesnake's farewell tour

David Coverdale (Image via Axel Heimken/Getty Images)

Whitesnake released their last album in 2019, Flesh & Blood, and took their last show on June 23, 2022. According to Rolling Stone, the band originally planned to play more shows for their farewell tour, but health issues got in the way of their plans. In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock in 2023, David Coverdale opened up about his health problems, saying:

"Last year, I was so incredibly compromised by, without any doubt, the worst sinus infection I've ever had in my life."

He called it "one of the ugliest illnesses" that he ever had, and he said he had to take "ever-increasingly strong antibiotics" in addition to "horrifying Prednisone steroids" for seven months. And while Coverdale has only shared his announcement now, his wife of 28 years, Cindy Barker, said that the musician had been planning the farewell for 35 years.

She congratulated her husband on Instagram shortly after his retirement announcement. She said that they met 35 years ago and that David Coverdale told her that he was retiring. The photo she shared of her and Coverdale inside a private jet was the last time they flew to the last Whitesnake show, she added.

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David Coverdale's retirement announcement comes months after former bandmate and collaborator John Sykes passed away at 65 back in January 2025. Sykes died following a battle with cancer. He and Coverdale wrote one of Whitensake's biggest Billboard hits: Is This Love.

Edited by Kinette Sumadia