K.K. DOWNING Turns 75, Gets Birthday Messages From Members Of METALLICA, SLAYER, SCORPIONS, ACCEPT, THIN LIZZY, Others

K.K. Downing turned 75 on 27 October and marked the birthday onstage with his band KK’s Priest in San Jose, California. A video compilation of birthday messages from well-known heavy metal and hard rock musicians celebrated his influence and long career.

The contributors included James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo of Metallica, Kerry King of Slayer, Klaus Meine of Scorpions, Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Wolf Hoffmann of Accept. Downing was a founding member of Judas Priest and played guitar with the band for 40 years before leaving in 2011; by that year, Judas Priest had sold more than 45 million records worldwide. He later formed KK’s Priest with former Judas Priest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens.