One of the lead guitarists of Judas Priest, Richie Faulkner, was seen on Instagram Live shredding on his guitar just a mere 10 weeks after having intense heart surgery. 

Faulkner had a ruptured aorta during a performance at the Larger than Life Festival in Kentucky back in September, halting the performance and the band’s tour. 

For those who need an anatomy lesson, the aorta is a large artery that pumps blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Faulkner had an aortic aneurysm, which is a bulge that comes out of the vessel and eventually ruptures, causing blood to leak into the body cavity, which is very serious and can be fatal if not treated immediately. Luck was definitely on his side that night, and he was able to spend time at home to recover. While there are no further details about his health condition, other than that he is doing well, surgery usually indicates the need for a lifestyle change, and hopefully Faulkner was able to make whatever changes were needed so that he can continue to do what he loves, which was demonstrated during his shredding session which was told to have lasted over an hour, as seen in the video below. He has posted on social media of how grateful he is to be doing what he loves and that he has had a great support system from his family, his medical team and the fans.

Faulkner’s continued recovery will greenlight the 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour to resume, after it was halted after the incident, in 2022. 

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