Richie Faulkner Health Issue: Judas Priest Guitarist Shares Lifestyle Changes After Major Heart Procedure

Richie Faulkner opened up about the changes in his lifestyle following his health scare and open heart surgery.

Faulkner underwent an emergency heart surgery after Judas Priest's set at the Louder Than Life Festival due to an aortic rupture. He had a follow-up procedure after the 2022 summer tour months later.

Following the health issue, Faulkner shared his current health status and lifestyle to ensure his continuous recuperation.

Richie Faulkner Health Update

In a new interview with DJ Force X, Faulkner was asked what changes he applied to improve his lifestyle after the surgery.

According to the guitarist, he is very lucky and fortunate to survive the health scare and manage to go through his 10-hour second surgery. He added that he needs to take medications for the rest of his life and watch the greens he eats.

"I have to watch how thick my blood is. I've got a mechanical valve, so it means I have to make sure that my blood is thin enough to go through the valve but not too thin that I bleed out if I cut myself," he went on. "So eating greens thickens your blood, because of vitamin K in it, so that's the stuff I've gotta be careful of, crazily enough."

Faulkner also compared himself to others who lost a lot more than he did and went through worse than him. With that, the musician expressed how fortunate he is to survive his own health issue.

What Happened to Richie Faulkner?

Faulkner's surgeries were done after his aorta ruptured while he was performing on stage.

He shared a video of the crowd at the festival and noted how he thought everything was going fine. He revealed that his scan results showed that a hole developed between his aorta and synthetic graft. It led to an 8cm sack forming around his heart.

Although he toured with Judas Priest despite the health concern, he underwent the second open heart surgery to remove the sack and stop the leak.

The guitarist also thanked fans for their prayers and support and the hospital staff who took care of him, saying that he survived the life-threatening episode after his girlfriend, Mariah Lynch, urged him to get medical attention after the band finished its set.