Richie Faulkner Health Update: Judas Priest Guitarist Undergoes 2nd Surgery After Near-Death Experience

Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest revealed that he received additional surgery following her near-death experience last year.

Following the Louder Than Life Festival last year, Faulkner underwent emergency heart surgery after suffering an aortic rupture on stage. Months after the initial procedure, the musician had a follow-up surgery following the band's summer 2022 tour dates.

On his official Facebook page, he shared a video of the crowd during the Louder Than Life Festival to mark the one year since the band's performance during which his aorta ruptured.

"It's crazy how one minute you're listening to the crowd singing war pigs - everything normal, everything seemingly fine - the next it turns out that it was almost the last time I ever heard it. Unbeknownst to me, there was stuff going on under the surface that was about to literally explode," he said.

Faulkner then expressed his gratitude toward his support system at home as well as the hospital staff who took care of him and his fans who offered prayers throughout his health journey.

Although he escaped the near-death experience, he noted that the scans' results showed a hole in one of the connections between his aorta and synthetic graft. Thus, it was causing a leak that already led to an 8cm sack forming around his heart.

His doctors allowed him to tour with Judas Priest in Europe despite that. But he had to undergo another open-heart surgery to remove the sack and fix the leak.

Faulkner shared the update six weeks after the second surgery, assuring fans he is now well and recuperating.

Richie Faulkner's Near-Death Experience

Faulkner first talked about his health issue during an interview with Guitar World. The lead guitarist said he almost died when his aorta ruptured after initially feeling his chest tightening during their performance.

Although he finished the band's number, he eventually collapsed into a chair at the side of the stage. He wanted to go home instead of visiting the hospital.

However, the medics and his girlfriend, Mariah Lynch, urged him to get medical attention. From there the doctors at the Rudd Heart and Lung Center at U of L Health-Jewish Hospital revealed that there was indeed bleeding into his chest cavity.

During the same interview, he said that metal music saved him as it kept his heart pumping hard enough until he arrived at the medical facility.