Ian Hill has announced he is retiring from Judas Priest. The veteran bassist of the iconic metal band shared a message with fans on Oct. 9 to share his exit news.
In a message posted to Instagram, Hill, 74, revealed that his retirement has been a long time coming.
“Hello everyone, for a long time now, when asked ‘how long can you continue,’ I’ve always answered, ‘until my performances suffer,’” Hill wrote. “I hate to say it, but that time has come.”
“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 shared. “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.”
In September, Hill missed his first show ever in his 56 years with the band.
In his post, Hill explained that after snapping a tendon in his left shoulder and not being able to lift his arm enough to reach the neck of his bass, he called in Rimmer to fill in for him during the band’s Faithkeepers Tour. He also shared that he has talked to medical specialists who can’t guarantee he’ll gain enough strength in his shoulder to complete a full stage show—even if he undergoes surgery.
“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 wrote.
He also noted that the “obvious choice” for his tour replacement is Rimmer.
“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 concluded his message.
Alongside Hill’s message, Judas Priest band members confirmed the permanent addition of Rimmer, captioning the bassist’s post with, “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….we wish him well in his retirement and welcome Davey into the Priest Family.”
Hill joined Judas Priest in 1970, according to Music Radar, and has played on all of the band’s studio albums over the past 50 years.
Hill previosuly looked back on his long career with Judas Priest in an interview with Rock Cellar. “It wasn’t until 1974 before we got a record deal, and it just went on from there,” he said. “We were lucky enough to be able to build every time we did a new record and a new tour.”
“Every day I wake up and give thanks for being able to do what I do for a living,” the music legend added.
In response to Hills’s retirement, a message on the Uriah Heep Instagram page said, “Following today’s announcement that Davey Rimmer will be joining Judas Priest from the start of their 2027 touring, 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.”
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