In an interview with CBS This Morning: Saturday today (Feb. 23), Peter Frampton revealed that he suffers from a rare degenerative muscular disorder called Inclusion-Body Myositis (IBM) and that the diagnosis means his next tour will be his last.
IBM is a progressive disease, and Frampton, 68, told CBS that he wants to get as much guitar playing in as he can before it begins to impact his ability to perform.
“What will happen unfortunately is that it affects the finger flexors,” he said. “So for a guitar player, it’s not very good. I’m able to play great right now, but in a year’s time, maybe not so good. I’m a perfectionist, and I do not want to go out there and feel like ‘This isn’t good.’ That would be a nightmare for me.”
In addition to the farewell tour, which will kick off in June and run through Oct. 12, Frampton told CBS he’s been working on new material. “Between October and two days ago, we’ve done like 33 new tracks,” he said. “I just want to record as much as I can now for obvious reasons.”
Frampton was diagnosed with IBM three and a half years ago after a fall onstage, and while the news was devastating, he’s maintaining a positive outlook.
“I’m thinking of all the times in my life that I have something devastating that has happened to my career or my family or me,” he said. “I’ve brushed myself off, got myself up and changed directions.”
There is currently no cure for IBM, but Frampton is participating in a new drug trial at Johns Hopkins. For a complete list of the farewell tour dates, click here. Check out the complete CBS This Morning interview below.