Richie Faulkner talks about aortic rupture at Louder than Life 2021

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Louder than Life is in full swing, but one performer is remembering the scary moment he had when he played the festival two years ago.

British heavy metal band Judas Priest was on stage in 2021, and everything seemed to be going fine. However, when they were almost done with their last song, guitarist Richie Faulkner got lightheaded and started feeling what he described as exploding in his chest.

It turns out the main valve in his heart was leaking and after the show, he had to have more than 10 hours of surgery.

Faulkner talked about how if it hadn’t been a shorter set than normal, things could have been much worse.

“We’re three weeks into a tour,” he said. “We’re usually a bit tired, a bit achy. You’re adjusting to the schedules of the road after three weeks. Especially at 40, but this was something that was unfamiliar. This was something that okay, you notice it but you carry on.”

About three-quarters of people who go through what Faulkner did, don’t survive. He said he’s doing much better now and thanked the UofL Health team for all of their work to save him.