Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner is reportedly in a stable condition after undergoing emergency heart surgery earlier this week.
Faulkner was hospitalised on Monday (September 27) due to “major heart condition issues”, which led to the band postponing the remainder of their 50 Heavy Metal Years US tour dates.
According to a post from Faulkner’s partner Mariah Lynch, the guitarist is resting following his surgery.
“Richie underwent major emergency heart surgery. He is stable & resting. If you know him, you know how tough & strong he is. So tough that he finished the show & kept the hair flips coming. There’s no one like him. We’d be lost without him,” she wrote.
Judas Priest’s current tour was expected to run until November. In an earlier statement, the band said they would reschedule the dates once Faulkner is given the all-clear from doctors.
“In the meantime, we are all sending love to our Falcon for a speedy recovery. As soon as we have any updates from his doctors on when we can reschedule the dates we will of course announce them,” they said in a statement.
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Faulkner has been a member of the band since 2011, replacing longtime guitarist K. K. Downing following his departure from the band. Faulkner has since performed on Judas Priest’s last two studio albums – 2014’s ‘Redeemer of Souls’ and 2018’s ‘Firepower’.