Ian Hill is retiring from Judas Priest because arthritis—advanced in his left shoulder and right hand—and a torn tendon in his left shoulder have made performing complete concerts increasingly difficult. Hill explained the decision in an official statement published by the band on October 9, 2026, ending an uninterrupted run that covered Judas Priest’s formative years and every studio album from Rocka Rolla in 1974 through Invincible Shield in 2024.
The retirement is more than a routine personnel change. Hill was the one continuous musician across the band’s entire recording history, providing a steady foundation as Judas Priest changed members, refined its sound and helped define heavy metal for successive generations.
Why Ian Hill Is Retiring Now
In his statement, Hill said arthritis had reached an advanced stage in his left shoulder and right hand. He also said the condition was established in his right shoulder and present in both knees.
Those problems had been developing for years, according to Hill. He had treated the pain with pills, topical gels and cortisone injections, but the demands of playing complete Judas Priest concerts had become increasingly difficult to manage.
Hill’s description makes an important distinction clear: the retirement was not caused by a single bad night or one isolated injury. Arthritis was already limiting his ability to perform. A separate shoulder injury then made the situation more urgent.
The band announced Hill’s retirement and welcomed Davey Rimmer into what it called the “Priest Family.” Hill identified Rimmer as his replacement.
The Shoulder Injury That Accelerated His Decision
Hill said he tore a tendon in his left shoulder shortly before the encores at Judas Priest’s concert in Brussels. The injury left him unable to raise his arm far enough to reach the neck of his bass and prevented him from playing the band’s September 21 show at London’s Eventim Apollo.
Judas Priest announced his absence that day, describing the problem as a badly damaged tendon in his left arm. Rimmer stepped in for the London performance, giving the band an immediate way to continue while Hill sought medical advice and considered his future.
Eighteen days later, Hill announced his retirement.
The sequence helps explain why the decision came when it did. The tendon tear was the immediate interruption, but Hill’s statement presents it as an additional problem layered onto arthritis affecting multiple joints. It accelerated a decision shaped by longer-term health limitations rather than serving as the sole reason for his departure.
Judas Priest’s Last Continuous Link to Its Recording History
Current reports generally date Hill’s involvement in the Judas Priest lineage to 1970, giving him a tenure of approximately 56 years. Sony Music’s history reaches slightly farther back, tracing the precursor group Freight—with Hill and guitarist K.K. Downing—to 1969.
That early history explains why different accounts may produce slightly different totals. Hill referred in his retirement statement to having neglected his family life for 57 years, but he did not explicitly present that number as a precise calculation of his Judas Priest membership.
What is not in dispute is his complete recording run. Hill played on all 19 Judas Priest studio albums released through 2024, beginning with the band’s 1974 debut, Rocka Rolla, and continuing through Invincible Shield. He remained through the breakthrough era surrounding British Steel, decades of lineup changes and the group’s work in the 21st century.
That continuity gives his retirement unusual historical weight. Other central figures left, returned or reduced their touring roles, but Hill remained in place throughout the band’s recorded evolution. His departure removes Judas Priest’s only uninterrupted personnel link from its first album to its most recent release.
His tenure also encompassed major institutional recognition. Judas Priest won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the live version of “Dissident Aggressor” and received the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Musical Excellence Award in 2022, with Hill among the members named on the group’s inductee plaque.
How Hill Anchored the Band
Hill was rarely the most visually theatrical member of Judas Priest. His role was structural: holding down the low end beneath twin-guitar arrangements, a succession of drummers and Rob Halford’s commanding vocals.
Across the band’s catalog, his playing often favors control and economy over constant display. That is a listening observation rather than a claim about his private intentions, but the effect is easy to hear. The bass supports the riffs, preserves momentum and leaves space for the guitars and vocals to carry the most dramatic parts of an arrangement.
That restraint became a form of continuity. Judas Priest moved through different production styles and changing versions of heavy metal without losing the firm rhythmic center Hill helped provide.
His importance therefore cannot be measured only by solos, songwriting credits or time in the spotlight. For more than five decades, his consistency helped hold together a band whose sound depended on precision as much as volume.
Who Is New Bassist Davey Rimmer?
Davey Rimmer is Hill’s announced replacement. He joined Uriah Heep in 2013 and has also performed with Elegant Weapons, the group featuring Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner.
Rimmer also had the practical advantage of recent experience with Judas Priest. He learned the band’s set as a contingency during its 2026 European tour and substituted for Hill at the September 21 London concert after the shoulder injury.
Hill described Rimmer as the “obvious choice” in his official statement, praising him as both a bassist and a person who would fit the position. Judas Priest separately welcomed Rimmer into the lineup.
At the time of the announcement, both Hill and contemporary reports continued to identify Rimmer with Uriah Heep and Elegant Weapons. Neither Judas Priest’s statement nor Hill’s message detailed how the new appointment would affect those commitments.
Will Ian Hill Appear on the Next Judas Priest Album?
Hill’s retirement does not erase him from Judas Priest’s next recorded chapter. He said he had already put bass lines to songs for the band’s new album before deciding to retire.
That statement confirms that Hill participated in the recording process even though he has now stepped away from the regular lineup. SPIN, Louder and Blabbermouth all reported his contribution while covering the retirement announcement.
Hill did not identify the songs or say whether his parts cover the entire record. His statement also did not provide an album title, track list, release date or final personnel credits.
What is certain is the scale of the transition. Health problems have brought Hill’s continuous active tenure to an end, but his completed bass work connects him to at least part of Judas Priest’s next recording project. The band is entering a new era with Rimmer while still carrying forward music recorded by the bassist who linked every previous studio era.
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