JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner reportedly underwent a “10-hour open-heart surgery” after suffering a “heart attack” following the band’s performance at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky this past Sunday.
As a result, JUDAS PRIEST were forced to postpone the remainder of their U.S. tour.
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.”
TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon also wrote on his Instagram: “Sending love and healing power to Richie Faulkner @falconfaulkner .. I haven’t met him yet but he’s a rock n roll brother that my guitar playing friends all love very much and they tell me how cool of a guy he is. I heard he played a show then walked off stage having a heart attack and had 10 hr open heart surgery last night. Hang in there Richie and I look forward to meeting / jamming with you someday! You got this!”
Faulkner joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K. Downing.
Faulkner’s first performance with JUDAS PRIEST occurred on 25 May 2011 on the TV show American Idol, where the band performed “Living After Midnight” and “Breaking the Law” with James Durbin. Faulkner‘s first album with Judas Priest was Redeemer of Souls, released in 2014.
