Judas Priest members Rob Halford and Glenn Tipton have recently got together for a bit of festive cheer, with Halford sharing a photo of the pair in front of a nicely decorated Christmas tree. The photo comes after Tipton stepped out from touring with the group back in 2018 due to his struggles with Parkinson’s disease. He found that he could no longer play some of Judas Priest’s more complicated material, and was replaced by Andy Sneap (who produced the band’s latest album Firepower).
Despite this news, Halford has made it clear that Tipton is still very much a member of the group, noting his involvement on their next album, both as a writer and performer. He says “Glenn can still play the guitar. He plays it differently, but he can still play …. So he’ll be on this next album. Whatever work he does, he’s valuable …. He’s a member of Judas Priest. He’s still there.” Tipton announced his diagnosis back in 2018, but the actual time he found out was four years earlier, and even then his doctor estimated he’d been living with the illness for over half a decade beforehand.
However, he is not the only Priest member whose health has been on the line lately. Halford’s battle with prostate cancer during the pandemic has been well documented in the latest editions of his autobiography, Confess. After a prostatectomy back in 2020, and further radiation treatment last April and May, the singer finally got the all-clear back in June.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, last September guitarist Richie Faulkner (who joined the band after founding member K. K. Downing left back in 2011) had “an aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection” during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville. It required ten hours of surgery and the replacement of five parts of his chest with “mechanical components”.
However, Faulkner seems to be doing much better now, saying in a statement that he “was able to return home from hospital 10 days after my surgery” and that he’s “feeling very strong and positive”. He said that he’d “be back on stage in no time! My surgeons are very pleased with my progress and have all reserved front row tickets for the next Priest show haha”.
As of now, the band members seem to be getting the help they need for their various ailments, hopefully promising much more music from the group in the future. If you want to take advantage of this and see them live, tickets are on sale on their website for dates ranging from March to July next year, taking the band all over Europe and America, and should be a treat for fans all over the world.
