In a new interview with Tim Caple of the Rock 'N' Blues Experience, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner reflects on his four and a half year battle with health issues following an aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection during the band's 2021 Louder Than Life festival performance in Louisville, Kentucky.
When asked about the importance of his family support in overcoming these medical challenges, particularly now that he is a father to young daughter Daisy Mae, Faulkner shares (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's incredibly helpful.
If your base is secure, you can build on that.
At the end of the day, that's your base and you can kind of retreat to that and everything's fine.
If your base is shaken or it's not secure, then that can go against you.
But [my daughter] doesn't know half of what went on [with my health].
We'll tell her one day.
She knows surface-level stuff.
But she's happy.
She's smart, she's learning lots of new things.
Her life isn't affected by it as much as it could have been.
So we are grateful for that.",Faulkner also discusses how his young daughter has already shown interest in performing music and performing arts, stating: "She's a drummer, she's a singer.
She loves it all," he said.
"She loves the drums, she loves the guitar.
She likes to sing.
She just started doing acting classes, so, yeah, we've got our hands full.
But she's great, man.
She's a colorful character.
She's almost six, so she's got a big life.
She's got a big heart, and she's a good girl.
So, yeah, she's beautiful.
So, coming home to that after a tour is a big relief.",It's worth noting that Faulkner suffered a stroke in 2022 which left him with permanent damage to his brain, affecting how he plays guitar.
He has since been working on recovering from this injury.,Faulkner joined JUDAS PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K.
Downing.
In related news, Faulkner's project ELEGANT WEAPONS will release its sophomore album "Evolution" on April 24, 2026 via Exciter Records.