Yes, Halford was replaced by a cover band singer, but being gay had nothing to do with it.
- After spending nearly 20 years with Judas Priest, Halford announced to the band on 4 July 1991 that he was leaving…
- In 1998, Halford came out as gay publicly on an interview with MTV News.
I’m surprised that Wikipedia editors didn’t include the arguably most famous instance:
