Ian and Bron lived together near Lyme Regis, Dorset and they also shared a home in Portugal.

The song ‘Keep it Warm’ on Black Sabbath’s only album with Ian Gillan, 1983’s ‘Born Again’, was dedicated to his then girlfriend Bron.

Eight years later in 1991, Ian penned the solo song ‘Don’t Hold Me Back’ after Bron underwent a heart operation.

Commenting on the ‘Toolbox’ track, Ian said in 2015: “It was about my wife and her heart operation, you know?

“She was in hospital at the time, and ‘we’re breaking into your open heart.’ It’s a pure love song, and I couldn’t have done that on a Deep Purple record at that time. I don’t think I’d have been able to impose my personal passion so much into a Deep Purple song.”

All of us at Planet Rock send our deepest condolences to Ian and his family.