The Zombies' Rod Argent Retires From Touring After Suffering Stroke

Rod Argent, a founder and longtime keyboardist for the British group The Zombies, is retiring from touring. The group's management team, the Rocks Management, announced the news Thursday , sharing that Argent, 79, "made the very difficult decision to immediately retire from touring" after he suffered a stroke and was hospitalized after returning home from touring with his rock band in the U.K.

In the July 11 statement, Rocks Management explained that Argent "had recently returned home from a triumphant Zombies tour of the UK, and spent a weekend in London with his beloved wife Cathy, celebrating his 79th birthday and their 52nd wedding anniversary, before the stroke occurred." The musician was hospitalized overnight and released the following day, with doctors telling him that he "will need several months of rest and recuperation."

"Rod has asked us to convey that he has made the very difficult decision to immediately retire from touring in order to protect his health," the statement continued. "He was already preparing to wind down his live performance schedule after health scares on recent tours (a Fall 2024 USA run was in the works that was intended to be his final overseas tour, and a farewell to the country that launched The Zombies' career in 1964). However, the stroke was an unmistakable warning sign that the risks are too great."

While the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is retiring from touring, he still intends to remain an active members of The Zombies, which he formed in St. Albans, north of London, in 1961 and is led by Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. Argent "firmly intends to continue his other creative joy of writing and recording with The Zombies," according to his management team, and "has already been back at his piano for some much-needed 'Bach therapy.'"

"As heart-breaking as this is for us, the band, our crew and our team, we are a family and fully support Rod in this decision," the statement added.

This is not the first time Argent has stepped back from touring. He retired from touring The Zombies for the first time in 1975 in order to focus on his family, songwriting, and production. He returned to the road more than 20 years later when, in 1999, Blunstone asked him to play six of his solo shows.

On account of his most recent retirement, all upcoming performances on The Zombies' schedule have been canceled. Management confirmed, however, that the group's second annual Begin Here Festival taking place in St. Albans from Nov. 8-10 will continue as planned, but current hopes are to "replace the scheduled Zombies performance with a special show honoring Rod."