Rob Halford - Personal Life

Personal Life

In 1998, Halford came out as gay publicly on an interview with MTV News.

"I think that most people know that I've been a gay man all of my life, and it's only been in recent times it's an issue that I feel comfortable to address ... something that I feel has a moment, and this is the moment to discuss it." —Rob Halford

It is revealed in Behind the Music that hiding his sexuality during Priest's career caused him a lot of depression and isolation which led to his alcohol and drug abuse.

This event was the subject of the song "Hats Off to Halford" by Atom and His Package (released on Making Love, No Idea Records, 1999).

In addition to the sound, Judas Priest are also known for being revolutionaries in heavy metal fashion. Halford thus began incorporating a macho image of what today is known as hardcore metal/biker/S&M style into his look as early as 1978. Halford claimed on Behind the Music this was an attempt to find an outlet for the angst caused by his hidden sexuality. It gave him a professional reason to frequent gay S&M shops.

He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, US, though he also maintains residences in San Diego, California, US and Amsterdam, Netherlands, as well as a home in his native Walsall, United Kingdom.

Although he is able to play several instruments (including guitar, bass, harmonica and drums), he does not consider himself enough of an accomplished instrumentalist to play while performing on stage.

In an interview with Motor Trend, he revealed that he has owned a variety of classic cars, including a 1970's Aston Martin DBS, a Chevrolet Corvette and a Mercury Cougar, although he didn't pass his driving test until he was 38 years old; his current daily driver is a 2006 Cadillac DTS.

He has been clean and sober since going to rehab in 1986, stating that, before that point, he heavily abused drugs and alcohol. He was born and raised in a Christian home, and states the following about his upbringing: "On a religious, more spiritual foundation, that really, for me, has become more important since I became clean and sober on Jan. 6, 1986. That was 25 years ago and I think that’s probably more important to me now, on a daily basis."