Rob Halford, the frontman of heavy metal band Judas Priest, has revealed that he quietly married his longtime partner in a private ceremony last year.
Speaking on Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears‘ “Queer the Music” podcast, the 74-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer said the couple wed after more than three decades together.
The decision, Halford explained on the episode dated Wednesday, Sept. 24, came after years of hesitation rooted in his partner Thomas’s conservative upbringing in Alabama.
“I stopped asking,” Halford said. “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 spoke with Shears during a break on Judas Priest’s current North American tour with Alice Cooper. They are scheduled to perform at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Oct. 14.
Halford said he and Thomas exchanged vows during a “beautiful, simple ceremony.” Only two close friends were present – Jim Silvia, Priest’s longtime tour manager, and Silvia’s wife.
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Judas Priest & Alice Cooper Live: 6:45 p.m. Oct. 14. Tickets start at $49. Shoreline Amphitheatre, One Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View. www.livenation.com
“There were just four of us around the pool, around the cactus, the heavy metal cactus,” Halford said, “and it was over in an instant. But it was just a beautiful, simple ceremony.”
Halford added that getting married was symbolically important to him.
“It seems like you’ve completed something in your relationship, more than anything else,” he said. “The commitment goes to another level when you get married. It’s a great thing to do. And if it doesn’t work, that’s life. But I think after being together for 35 years, it’s working.”
Halford, who came out as gay during an MTV interview in 1998 (partially inspired by Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum), also used the podcast to reflect on his coming out and the persistence of prejudice.
While he noted that fans at Judas Priest shows are largely accepting, he told Shears that “America is still incredibly homophobic.”
He described his decision to come out as unplanned – “just a pure stream of consciousness” – but one that proved pivotal for both himself and heavy metal, a genre long shadowed by homophobia.
“When I walk out on stage, when Priest is doing headline tours and I know that everybody has come there to see this band and hear the songs that we’ve made and watch us perform, surely they’re there with complete acceptance in their heart,” Halford said. “It’s about your art and your craft and your work. That’s all that matters.”
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