Rob Halford is in remission from prostate cancer.
The Judas Priest frontman revealed the news in an interview with Heavy Consequence, telling the website, "I had my little cancer battle a year ago, which I got through and that’s in remission now, thank God. That happened while we were all locked down, so things happen for a reason as far as time sequence of events. I have nothing but gratitude to be at this point in my life, still doing what I love the most."
The paperback edition of Halford's memoir, Confess, has been updated with a new chapter that includes details of the singer's 2017 diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
"How did I feel?” writes Halford. “I felt a combination of shock, horror, and oddly, relief - at least now I know!…’Am I going to die?’ It was all I could think of. I know blokes who’ve died of prostate cancer. ‘No, you’re not going to die, Rob,’ said Dr. Ali.”
Halford also reveals that more cancer was found on his prostate earlier this year, but that he was given an all-clear in June after undergoing radiation treatment in April and May. In a separate procedure, he also had a tumour successfully removed from his appendix.
“It’s been a draining year," writes Halford. "I can’t deny it, but I’m delighted to have come through it. I feel like I’ve had the most thorough MOT that a Metal God can have."
In late September, Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner was hospitalised after suffering an aortic aneurysm onstage at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, KY.
Last week Rob Halford shared an update on his bandmate's recovery, saying, "The good news is he’s healing, and his therapy will be picking up the guitar and getting back into these new songs for Priest and getting ready for the next batch of road work."
Judas Priest's US tour, which was postponed in the wake of Faulkner's illness, has yet to be rescheduled.
