Watch Judas Priest’s Richie Faulkner Shred Guitar 10 Weeks After Heart Surgery
Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner recently showed off his recovering musical chops just 10 weeks after he underwent emergency heart surgery following an aortic rupture that occurred onstage during Priest's performance at September's Louder Than Life Festival.
He did so during a livestream on Sunday (Dec. 5), as Guitar World reported. The Judas Priest rocker spent over an hour broadcasting for fans on Instagram Live, all while putting in the practice with some wicked guitar licks that would make any metal fan smile.
Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.
Faulkner was discharged from the hospital in early October after experiencing the aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection that occurred while he played the guitar solo to Judas Priest's "Painkiller." The rocker later thanked the heart doctor who saved his life.
Last month, Faulkner shared an update with fans explaining he was "able to return home from hospital 10 days after my surgery to continue recovery at home. It has now been 7 weeks since the night it all happened and I'm feeling very strong and positive. My incisions have healed very well and I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel."
He added, "I'm walking well and moving freely, I'm pretty active and I'm starting cardiac therapy very soon. I'm playing guitar everyday and with the love and support of my family, the continued support from you guys and the inspiration that i get from the guitar, I'll be back on stage in no time! My surgeons are very pleased with my progress and have all reserved front row tickets for the next Priest show haha."
Judas Priest postponed their immediate tour dates to allow for Faulkner's recovery. But the celebration of their 50th anniversary as a band continues. They recently launched the interactive "Guide to Heavy Metal" website. An anniversary box set emerged last month.