Judas Priest’s Richie Faulkner opens up about heart surgery
After 18 months in recovery, Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest has opened up about the heart surgery that saved his life. Faulkner had previously suffered heart problems and suffered acute aortic dissection while performing onstage with the heavy metal band back in 2021.
In an interview with We Go to 11, Faulkner mentioned how lucky he was to be alive today, recalling (via Blabbermouth), “You never know what’s around the corner, so if you’ve got something to say and stuff to do, do it. ‘Cause in my case, it could have been all over that day. So all of this stuff kind of serves as a focus and a motivator to get it done and do it to the best of your ability and push on”.
After going through his stage injury and subsequent surgery, Faulkner felt it was best to get right back to work. He explained: “I was relatively young, so I was able to bounce back. And as soon as I could, I put a guitar back in my hands and started to play again. And I called management and said, ‘I wanna get back with the record and finish the record'”.
Faulkner has been with Judas Priest since 2011 when he replaced former guitar KK Downing. In addition to working with Priest, Faulkner has worked with Demon Hunter and the late Sir Christopher Lee on his metal album.
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