Judas Priest ProfileIan Hill, the bassist and longest-serving member of the British heavy metal band Judas Priest, has announced his retirement from the band after developing arthritis.
The band made the announcement on social media last night (9 October) and revealed that Davey Rimmer from Uriah Heep is now standing in for Hill.
“Hello everyone, 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, via Judas Priest’s social media.
He continued, “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.
“Although, I was able to put bass lines to the songs for the new album, there were questions whether I'd be able to complete the recent European tour without incident, so we asked our good friend Davey Rimmer from Uriah Heep, and of course Elegant Weapons, to learn the set list to stand in for me if I had to pull out, which I did for the London show.”
Hill explained that he had to abandon the band’s recent London show after “snapping” a tendon in his left shoulder during a Brussels show just two days earlier. “This led to me not being able to lift my arm enough to reach the neck of my bass,” he wrote. “So, we had to call Davey to stand in for me, who put in an incredible performance at such short notice!”
Adding that he’s seen specialists who have said he might be okay without surgery but there’s “no guarantee” that he’ll “have enough strength” in his arm to complete a whole show, Hill has decided it’s time to retire and finally spend more time with his family.
“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,” he wrote.
Hill concluded, “The obvious choice for my replacement is Davey. He's a great bassist, and a genuinely nice bloke who'll fit the job perfectly, and I wish him the very best of luck!
“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.”
The band added that it was with “heavy hearts” that they sent out the personal message from Hill, describing him as “the backbone of Judas Priest for so long and will be greatly missed by us all.
“We wish him well in his retirement and welcome Davey into the Priest Family,” they concluded.
Ian Hill joined Judas Priest in 1970 with guitarist and schoolmate K. K. Downing. Hill has become the band’s longest-serving member, following Downing’s departure in 2011. The bassist was responsible for bringing longtime vocalist Rob Halford into the band.
Hill appears on Judas Priest’s 19 albums, from their 1974 debut album, Rocka Rolla, to 2024’s Invincible Shield.
