Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, formerly of Deep Purple, has admitted his emotional reunion with the band last week could be the last.

Blackmore, 81, who co-founded the British rock band in 1968, surprised fans in Wantagh, New York, on August 12, when he joined the group on stage for a performance of their top hit “Smoke on the Water.”

“It was very moving because I went on very quickly and had to play immediately. I couldn’t warm up, but I wasn’t there to be playing correct notes. I was there to see old friends I hadn’t seen in 40 years,” he told Guitar Player of the experience. “We’re all getting older. I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other maybe.”

The special performance marked Blackmore’s first time returning to Deep Purple since his formal exit in 1993. He initially left the group in 1975 to form a new group, Rainbow, before returning in 1984. His second and permanent departure came during their 1993 The Battle Rages On world tour.

Co-founded by Blackmore, singer Rod Evans, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Jon Lord and bassist Nick Simper, Deep Purple has since undergone several lineup changes, with current frontman Ian Gillan replacing Evans in 1969.

Blackmore previously described Gillan, 81, as having a “strange obnoxious side to him,” clarifying to Guitar Player that the pair were “two alpha guys” who simply “clashed in the old days.”

“But all that [has] changed,” he said, “I was there to heal any wounds — but there weren’t any wounds. Everyone was like, we were in the Army, all along the Western front and we were all getting together again. Very emotional moment.”

He detailed how the reunion came about, adding to Guitar Player, “I woke up one morning thinking, the day before their show, ‘You know it would be good for the fans if I just got up for one song, probably ‘Smoke,’ and just show that we’re not at each other’s throats and don’t hate each other.’

“Candice, my wife, got me in touch with Ian Gillan and I said, ‘What do you think about me getting up for ‘Smoke’?’ His exact words were, ‘It made me smile.’ He then put it to the band and it was thumbs-up all around.”

Blackmore was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the “Highway Star” group in 2016. While he wasn’t in attendance at the ceremony, he later said on Facebook that he “appreciated the award.”

Deep Purple’s current lineup consists of Gillan, Paice, keyboardist Don Airey, bassist Roger Glover and guitarist Simon McBride. Right now, the group is traveling on their 2026 North American Tour in support of their 24th studio album, Splat!, which was released in July.