David Coverdale said Deep Purple prevented former guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from attending their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2016.
Blackmore had released a statement back then saying “he was discussing the possibility of attending, until we received correspondence from the President of the Rock Hall of Fame, who said that Bruce Payne, management for the current Deep Purple Touring Band, had said, ‘No ……… .!!!!!’ Therefore, Ritchie will not be attending the ceremony. He sincerely thanks all the fans that voted for him for their support.”