Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner hospitalized for ‘major medical heart condition issues’; band postpones U.S. tour

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English heavy metal band Judas Priest announced Monday that the remaining U.S. tour dates have been postponed due to a medical emergency involving guitarist Richie Faulkner.

“It is with deep regret that we have to postpone the rest of our US Tour,” the band said in a statement shared on social media.

“Richie has major medical heart condition issues which have landed him in [a] hospital where he is being treated — in the meantime we are all sending love to our Falcon to wish him a speedy recovery,” the statement added.

The tour will resume at a later date, the band said.

“As soon as we have any updates from his doctors on when we can reschedule the dates, we will of course announce them — tickets will be valid,” the statement added.

The metal superstars were scheduled to end the North American leg of its “50 Heavy Metal Years Tour” on Nov. 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.

Their next show was set for Wednesday in Denver, and they still had 24 more shows scheduled through the end of the year. The band’s European leg is set to start in Berlin on Jan. 26, 2022.

Their last show was Sunday in Louisville, Ky., at the Louder Than Life music festival, where they were joined on stage by Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett for a performance of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown).”

Faulkner joined Judas Priest in 2011, following the departure of longtime guitarist K.K. Downing, according to Guitar World. His first performance with the band took place in May 2011, on the television show “American Idol.”