In a recent interview with 101 WRIF, Ian Hill addressed the potential for Glenn Tipton to rejoin Judas Priest despite his ongoing struggles with Parkinson’s disease.
“He is about as well as anybody can do given the situation,” Hill noted. “I mean it’s it’s a horrible thing that he’s got and it’s a steady fade. I mean he’s doing the best he can, so he has his good days, bad days. I know it breaks his heart that he can’t come out and play with us anymore, not for a complete set anyway. I mean when he’s well enough he will come out and he’ll do one or two songs in the encores.”
“Please don’t go out tick it on the strength of that because the chances are he probably won’t be there, but he’s always greatly surprised when he does. We all love Glenn and we love it when he can come out and visit. Even if he doesn’t get up on stage if he just comes out to say hello it’s always a great event,” the bassist continued.
Tipton, who has been battling Parkinson’s disease for over a decade, had actually been showing symptoms for at least five years before his diagnosis. In early 2018, he made the decision to step back from touring to support Priest’s ‘Firepower’ album.
Six years later, his bandmate Rob Halford commented on Tipton’s condition during an interview. “He’s doing extraordinarily well considering that he’s been living with Parkinson’s for 15 years. He’s such a strong man,” Halford said in response to questions about Tipton’s potential involvement in their tours. “It’s like any of these challenges, a lot of it is borne by how you fight back, and he fights back all the time. I love that people still understand his importance in Judas Priest – his input on this new album, ‘Invincible Shield,’ is as it has been on all the records.”
However, Halford later clarified his comments in another interview. “It was just beautiful when he came out and the audience went, ‘Glenn!’ He’s such a hero and he received so much love and respect, as he deserves, because he’s one of the greatest ever metal guitar players that’s lived. There is no other guitar player like Glenn Tipton. That was a special moment for Glenn. It was almost like a complete cycle because – I won’t say this with my hand on my heart – but there’s a possibility that was the last time that you saw Glenn play live.”
