Judas Priest is one of the most iconic heavy metal bands. This is thanks to songs such as “Painkiller,” Turbo Lover,” and “Electric Eye.” Now, congratulations are in order for singer Rob Halford, as he recently revealed that he is a married man.
Halford broke the news on the “Queer the Music” podcast, hosted by Jake Shears, that he’d married his longtime partner, Thomas Pence. The 74-year-old said, “We got married by the cactus outside on December the something or other, about a year or so ago.”
Halford continued, “It was obviously me and him and an officiant, as they call them, who are legalized to marry people. Two of my dearest friends, Jim Silvia, who was Priest’s [tour] manager forever, and his wife.”
He added, “There were just four of us around the pool, around the cactus, the heavy metal cactus. And it was over in an instant. But it was just a beautiful, simple ceremony.”
Halford then confessed that he’d given up on the idea of marrying Pence. He said, “I stopped asking, ‘Let’s get married.’ ‘No, I don’t want to get married.’ ‘Oh, let’s just get married. We’ve been together forever.’ ‘No, I don’t want to get married.'”
He continued, “And then suddenly on one of our night walks, he goes, ‘I think we should get married.’ [I went] straight home [and got] on the phone to get a pastor.”
Halford Previously Opened Up About His Relationship with Pence
Halford came out of the closet as gay in 1998 during an interview with MTV. Since then, he’s been somewhat open about his romantic life. He discussed his relationship with Pense with British GQ in 2020 while promoting his autobiography, “Confess.”
He said, “Thomas and I have been together about 1,000 years.” Halford then joked that Pense does the cooking while he cleans the dishes.”
Halford continued, “It has to be 50-50. If it’s 75-25, it’s wonky, and you have to be perfectly balanced. You have to constantly work at it, and that can be hard, but otherwise things can dry up and go stale.” The two began dating around 1990.
Judas Priest is Currently on Tour
Judas Priest debuted as a band in 1969. However, Halford left the band in 1992 but later rejoined in 2003. Tim “Ripper” Owens took his place during the hiatus. Now, like many legendary acts, they are on tour with dates in the US and Canada.
Judas Priest also released new music in 2024 with their “Invincible Shield” album. According to Billboard, the album debuted with 25,000 album equivalent units, which is impressive for a band that’s been around as long as Judas Priest has.
