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Cindy Barker is more than ready for her spouse, David Coverdale, to finally embrace a more relaxed lifestyle.
Following the iconic musician’s announcement of his retirement at the age of 74, Barker, his partner of nearly three decades, shared that this moment was long anticipated. In fact, it was meant to occur years earlier.
Expressing her heartfelt emotions on Instagram, Barker wrote, “Happy ‘Official’ Retirement, Baby!! My love for you is boundless. What an amazing adventure it has been by your side! Now, we can focus on enjoying life together. I’m eager to see what you’ll do next…”
She humorously added, “Fun fact: when I first met David 35 years ago, he said he was retiring… 🎶.” Reflecting on a recent memory, she noted, “This picture was taken en route to the last concert I attended, unaware it would be my final Whitesnake show… such a mix of emotions!”
In a heartfelt video message, Coverdale addressed his fans, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the Snake, I have a special announcement for you,” before launching into a rendition of his 2011 song “Fare Thee Well.”
“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 skin-tight 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,”
The “Here I Go Again” singer thanked those who supported him in both Whitesnake and Deep Purple, before noting: “It really is time for me to just enjoy my retirement, and I hope you can appreciate that.”
“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,” he continued, before raising a glass as he delivered his final message.
“Fare thee well,” he said, referencing the band’s 2011 song of the same name.
Fans paid tribute to the musician and wished him well on his future.
“Without a doubt, this is the classiest farewell I have ever seen or heard from an artist. Words cannot express what your music has meant to me. Thank you for everything, and fare thee well, indeed,” one person penned in the comments.
“From the first time I ever heard your voice, I have been hooked on you. In 1988, I was fighting for my life with ovarian cancer and here I am today still rocking to your music. I will be a Whitesnake fan till my last breath. I love you David Coverdale,” another chimed in.
Rounding out the sweet messages, a third fan added, “David, sir, thank you for being part of the soundtrack of my life for the last four plus decades… you will be missed. We love you, too…”
Coverdale first stepped on the scene in the United Kingdom with local bands before landing the gig of lead singer for Deep Purple in 1973.
Three years later, the rocker launched his solo career and released two studio albums.
Coverdale founded Whitesnake in 1978, with guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody.
The band has since released 13 albums, with their 2008 release “Good to be Bad” earning them Album of the Year from Classic Rock magazine.
The Whitesnake frontman and Led Zeppelin founder, Jimmy Page, collaborated for their certified platinum album “Coverdale/Page” in 1993.
In 2016, Coverdale was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple.
Whitesnake released their last album in 2019, playing their last concert four years later at Hellfest in France on June 23, 2022.
They ended up canceling their remaining shows because several band members, including Coverdale himself, suffered health issues.
“Last year, I was so incredibly compromised by, without any doubt, the worst sinus infection I’ve ever had in my life. And as a singer, I know them like f—ing relatives of mine,” Coverdale told Ultimate Classic Rock in 2023. “This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I’ve [ever] had. For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying Prednisone steroids.”
“I really don’t know [when we’ll be back onstage],” he added. “I’ll be 72 this year. But, you know, my passion is that of a much younger man, particularly with the new creative team that I have, working on these legacy projects and also new things at the same time. It’s like bluebirds flying out of every orifice.”