Judas Priest’s Ian Hill Announces Retirement After 56 Years: “I Hate to Say It, but That Time Has Come”

Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill has announced his retirement from the band after 56 years, citing worsening arthritis and a recent shoulder injury that have left him unable to guarantee he can complete a live performance.

The 74-year-old musician, who has been Judas Priest’s only constant member since 1970, confirmed the news in a personal statement shared through the band’s social channels this morning. He will be replaced by Uriah Heep bassist Davey Rimmer, who previously stepped in for Hill during the band’s recent European tour.

Hill explained that he has been dealing with arthritis affecting both shoulders, his right hand and both knees, with the condition becoming increasingly difficult to manage despite medication and cortisone injections.

“Hello everyone, for a long time now, when asked ‘how long can you continue’ – I’ve always answered ‘until my performances suffer’,” Hill began.

“I hate to say it, but that time has come.”

The news comes just weeks after Hill missed Judas Priest’s concert at London’s Eventim Apollo on 21 September, the first show he had missed in the band’s history. Until then, he had performed at every Judas Priest concert throughout a career spanning more than five decades.

At the time, the band announced that Hill had suffered a badly damaged tendon in his left arm, with Rimmer drafted in at short notice to complete the final date of the band’s European tour.

Hill has now revealed that the injury occurred during the band’s performance in Brussels two days earlier, when he snapped a tendon in his left shoulder shortly before the encores.

“This led to me not being able to lift my arm enough to reach the neck of my bass,” he explained.

Rimmer had already been learning the band’s set as a precaution, with concerns over whether Hill would be able to complete the tour. He was ultimately called upon for the London concert, earning praise from Hill for delivering an incredible performance at such short notice.

Following consultations with specialists, Hill was advised that he might be able to avoid surgery, although there was no guarantee that either treatment option would restore sufficient strength to his shoulder and arm to complete a full concert.

Hill also confirmed that he had recorded bass parts for Judas Priest’s forthcoming studio album, although his health had already raised concerns about his ability to continue touring.

His retirement comes after several years of insisting that he had no immediate plans to step away from Judas Priest.

Speaking to Spain’s Rock FM in March 2024, Hill said the band had no plans to retire while they were still capable of performing.

“No, we have no plan to retire yet. We’re still able to perform,” he said.

“The time to think about retiring is when your performances start to dip and you’re not doing too well. You have to think about it then.”

Later that year, speaking on Chris Akin Presents, Hill said he did not expect 2024’s Invincible Shield to be Judas Priest’s final album or tour, maintaining that the band would continue for as long as its members could deliver the performances expected of them.

However, with his physical condition now affecting his ability to play, Hill has decided that the time has come to retire and 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.”

Hill joined Judas Priest in 1970 and remained with the band through every subsequent line-up change, including Rob Halford’s departure in 1992, K.K. Downing’s exit in 2011 and Glenn Tipton stepping back from touring in 2018 following his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

He played on every Judas Priest studio album, from 1974’s Rocka Rolla through to 2024’s Invincible Shield, and performed on some of heavy metal’s best-known recordings, including British Steel, Screaming for Vengeance, Defenders of the Faith and Painkiller.

His replacement, Davey Rimmer, has played with Uriah Heep since 2013 and is also a member of Elegant Weapons alongside Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner.

“The obvious choice for my replacement is Davey,” Hill said. “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!”

In their accompanying statement, Judas Priest thanked Hill for his decades with the band, describing him as their backbone and welcoming Rimmer into the line-up.

Thanking fans for their support over the years, Hill 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 X”