Judas Priest are postponing the remainder of their U.S. tour due to guitarist Richie Faulkner’s hospitalization. On Monday, the band said he is being treated for a heart condition.
“It is with deep regret that we have to postpone the rest of our U.S. tour. Richie Faulkner has major medical heart condition issues which have landed him in the hospital where he is being treated,” they wrote. “In the meantime, we are all sending love to our Falcon to with him a speedy recovery.”
The band had been in the midst of their rescheduled 50 Heavy Metals Years Tour. On Sunday, the group performed at Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Their next date was originally set to take place on Wednesday at the Mission Ballroom in Denver and the tour was slated to continue through October in the U.S. before heading to Canada for three dates in November and on for a Europe run, set to kick off early next year.
Judas Priest’s “50 Heavy Metal Years” trek kicked off on September 8 in Reading, Pennsylvania and was slated to run through October before concluding on November 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.
Earlier today (Tuesday, September 28), Faulkner‘s girlfriend Mariah Lynch, daughter of former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch, shared the following update via Instagram:
“Thank you to everyone for all your messages. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. 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. #HotDad”.
Richie, get well soon! Thank you for being such an asset to Judas Priest and for bringing the “firepower” in such a huge way. I wish you and your family nothing but the best! You are a true metal god.
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