Judas Priest Guitarist Difficulty Music After Having A Stroke 4 Years Ago

Judas Priest Guitarist Richie Faulkner (Instagram @annienyhc)

JAKARTA - Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner revealed his experience of struggling with illness that had to make him experience some difficulties while playing music.

It all started when Faulkner suffered an aorta during a Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, United States in 2021. At that time, he had to undergo an emergency operation for 10 hours to save his life.

Long story short, Faulkner was saved from the tragedy. But what was never revealed to the public later, the 45-year-old guitarist suffered a stroke just one month later.

In a recent interview with Premier Guitar, Faulkner said he returned to appear on a tour with Judas Priest in 2022, and he began to feel the illness he suffered had affected his game.

"We are back in 2022 and have appeared on the road (tur) since then. However, there has been a bit of additional damage. Yes, not many people know (I suffered a stroke)," he said.

Only family and closest people know that Faulkner was diagnosed with a stroke in 2021. He said the disease had made his face change and could not speak.

It was stated that doctors diagnosed him with transient ischemic attacks (TIA), which are often described as mild strokes. However, Faulkner knew that he actually had a more severe stroke, which had caused long-lasting brain damage.

"There's something wrong with the right hand and right leg," said Faulkner. 'My brain is broken. I think I've had brain damage before, but it's real.'

Furthermore, the guitarist told how his illness affected him during music, which is said to have a bad impact on his musical abilities.

"There are a few things I used to play with I used to think something and the results would come out. And now I'm fighting hard to play the rhythm pattern," he added. That's how it is. That's the reality. So that's what I stand for. That's the additional damage.

For information, Richie Faulkner will still play with Judas Priest for this year's European tour, in support of their album released last year, "Invincible Shield".