David Coverdale says that 2021 would be an "appropriate" year for him to retire.

The WHITESNAKE frontman, who turned 68 last September, discussed the prospect of him calling it quits while speaking to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station earlier this week.

Addressing the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the globe, Coverdale said: "I have a feeling it's gonna take a little while to get things back to any semblance of what we knew before. So what we have to do is think outside the box. I have to get this surgery and get up and running. And what better age for the WHITESNAKE lead singer to go out and retire on — 69. [Laughs]"

Pressed about whether he is really thinking about hanging it up next year, David said: "I've always written songs that challenge me as a vocalist, and I'm 68 now. So I think 69 would be appropriate for WHITESNAKE's lead singer [to retire], wouldn't you?"

Last month, WHITESNAKE announced the cancelation of all of its previously announced touring activities, including this summer's U.S. trek with SAMMY HAGAR & THE CIRCLE and NIGHT RANGER, so that Coverdale can undergo surgery for bilateral inguinal hernia.

Three months ago, Coverdale told Australia's Heavy magazine that he "can't see" himself singing WHITESNAKE's classic song "Still Of The Night" in his 70s. "My wife's banned me from using the word 'retirement,'" he explained. "But every fucking day, I'm in gratitude and appreciation that my life is as it is, both in a private circumstance and in a professional circumstance. It's magical."

Back in 2016, Coverdale told Rolling Stone that he was "trying" to retire with the release of "The Purple Album", which was billed as "a re-imagination of classic songs from Coverdale's time as the lead singer for DEEP PURPLE's Mark III and Mark IV studio albums." Coverdale was DEEP PURPLE's frontman from late 1973 to early 1976 and sang on the albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band".

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

WHITESNAKE has been touring in support of its latest album, "Flesh & Blood", which was released last May via Frontiers Music Srl.

