Bron Gillan, Ian Gillan’s Wife And Inspiration For ‘Don’t Hold Me Back,’ Passed Away At 67

Deep Purple icon Ian Gillan mourns the loss of his wife, Bron Gillan, who died on November 19 at the age of 67. The two lived near Lyme Regis, Dorset, and the death was announced via the Bridport & Lyme Regis News website. The singer also confirmed this sad news by sharing their wedding photo on his Facebook account.

“Gillan Bron passed away peacefully on November 19, 2022, aged 67 years,” wrote the announcement. “A dearly loved wife to Ian, mother to Grace, daughter to Sheila, sister to Julie and Jill, and a devoted grandma to Rowan.”

The cause of death is said to be protracted illness. The two were married in 1984 and were getting ready to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They had one child from this long-lasting relationship, Grace Gillan, who followed in her father’s footsteps and entered the music world, currently working as a vocalist and songwriter.

During his long-lasting career, Ian Gillan dedicated two songs to Bron. The first was ‘Keep It Warm, which featured on 1983’s ‘Born Again,’ the only Black Sabbath album to include Ian. The song was dedicated to Bron, his girlfriend at the time.

The second is a song released during Ian’s Deep Purple times. In 1991, 8 years after Bron had a heart operation, Ian wrote the song ‘Don’t Hold Me Back.’ However, the song was not dropped under the name Deep Purple since Ian released the song as a solo track. As he later revealed, it was a pure love song, and he chose to release it solo because he didn’t want to dictate his personal passions to the group.