Ritchie Blackmore Is A Dad Again

The former Deep Purple guitarist, who turned 67 in April (12), and his wife, singer/songwriter wife Candice Night, became proud parents to Rory Dartanyan on 7 February (12).

The tot is a younger sibling for the couple's two-year-old daughter Autumn, and the third child for Blackmore - he has a grown-up son from a previous relationship.

In an online message to fans, Night reveals, "I feel it is now a good time to let you all in on a secret. An absolute miracle that we experienced a few months ago. On February 7th of this year, Ritchie and I welcomed a beautiful baby boy to this world. His name is Rory Dartanyan and he is such an incredibly sweet spirit!

"His sister is so excited to have a little brother and our family is now complete. 2 adults, 2 children and 2 cats. A full house! And of course, in celebration, music is filling the air... So, yes, we now have our little gypsy girl with Autumn Esmerelda and our very own musketeer in Rory Dartanyan."

The couple, married since 2008, perform together as folk rock duo Blackmore's Night.