Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill, the longest-serving member of the heavy metal legends, has announced his retirement from the band.
Hill revealed his departure to fans in a lengthy statement on Friday, citing the “evil arthritis” and other injuries as the reason for his exit. “For a long time now, when asked ‘how long can you continue’ – I’ve always answered ‘until my performances suffer’…. I hate to say it, but that time has come,” Hill wrote.
“For some years now, I’ve been struggling with the onset of the evil arthritis, which is now in an advanced state in my left shoulder and right hand, established in my right shoulder, and present in both knees. I’ve been fighting this with painkilling pills, gels, and recently with cortisone injections in my shoulder and hand.”
Hill said that while he was able to contribute bass lines to Judas Priest’s upcoming album, there was concern whether he’d be able to participate in the band’s recent European tour, so the band enlisted Uriah Heep’s Davey Rimmer as an understudy. Rimmer was forced to step in when Hill snapped “a tendon in my left shoulder (as if I didn’t have enough problems with it!) just before the encores during the Brussels show two days before. This led to me not being able to lift my arm enough to reach the neck of my bass.”
Hill continued, “I’ve seen specialists, who suggest I might get away without surgery, but even if I don’t there’s no guarantee either way that I’ll have enough strength in my shoulder/arm to complete a whole stage show. In view of all this, and the fact that I’ve neglected my family life for fifty seven years, I’ve decided to retire and spend the remaining years making up for it, and doing things with them before it involves one of ‘em pushing me around in a wheelchair.”
Hill and childhood friend and guitarist K.K. Downing joined Judas Priest in 1970, a year after singer Al Atkins founded the group. The band has cycled through dozens of lineup changes since then — singer Rob Halford (who was the brother of Hill’s girlfriend at the time) joined in 1973, guitarist Glenn Tipton joined in 1974, and Downing left the group in 2011 — but Hill remained a constant, appearing on every studio album from their 1974 debut Rocka Rolla to the upcoming follow-up to 2024’s Invincible Shield.
“It is with heavy hearts that we are sending out this personal message from our Ian….he has been the backbone of Judas Priest for so long and will be greatly missed by us all,” Judas Priest added on social media while confirming Rimmer would serve as their new bassist. “We wish him well in his retirement and welcome Davey into the Priest Family….”
Hill and Judas Priest were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. The band currently has no tour dates scheduled until summer 2027.
“There’s not a day goes by where I don’t give thanks for the incredible journey I’ve lived through, and it just remains for me to say that I love you all, and thank you for the life you’ve let me live,” Hill added.
