Judas Priest is parting ways with its longtime bassist.
Following more than five decades with the British heavy metal band, bass guitarist Ian Hill has confirmed he is retiring after years of grappling with arthritis.
"For a long time now, when asked 'how long can you continue,' I've always answered 'until my performances suffer,'" he wrote in a Friday, Oct. 9 Instagram statement
. "I hate to say it, but that time has come."The 74-year-old musician said the "onset of the evil arthritis" is now in an advanced state in his left shoulder and right hand. He said the condition is also established in his right shoulder and present in both knees and he has been battling the pain with pills, gels and cortisone injections in his 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," he wrote.
Since joining the band in 1970, Hill has been involved in all 19 albums, from their 1974 debut, "Rocka Rolla," to their upcoming record, slated as a follow-up to their 2024 album "Invincible Shield." The group completed its Faithkeepers tour in Europe over the summer and won't return to the stage until June 2027 for two festivals in Norway and Denmark.
Ian Hill reveals his Judas Priest replacement
Hill said the "obvious choice," Uriah Heep bassist Davey Rimmer, will replace him on the tour, writing, "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!"
The band asked their friend Rimmer to fill in for him and learn the set list in case Hill had to pull out. Rimmer filled in for Hill at the band's Sept. 21 show at the Eventim Apollo in London and gave an "incredible performance at such short notice," Hill wrote.
Hill explained that he snapped a tendon in his left shoulder, quipping, "as if I didn't have enough problems with it!"
"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," he wrote. "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 concluded: "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."
In response to Hill's announcement, Uriah Heep shared on Facebook Friday that it will look for a replacement for Rimmer as he embarks on his next chapter with Judas Priest.
"We would all like to wish Davey our very best in this very coveted position in one of the giants of heavy metal and hard rock. Davey will continue to play with Uriah Heep in 2026 and on all shows in 2027 where schedules permit. For the shows that don't, we will be announcing a replacement in due course," the band wrote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judas Priest's Ian Hill retires amid medical condition – 'Time has come'
