Former Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland dead at 69

Holland, far right, with Judas Priest in 1984
Holland, far right, with Judas Priest in 1984 (Image credit: Getty)

Former Judas Priest and Trapeze drummer Dave Holland has died at the age of 69.

The news was confirmed by former Priest guitarist KK Downing on Facebook, who says: “It is with deep regret that I have to accept the sudden and unexpected news that Dave Holland has passed away.

“Dave was a solid friend in life and solid musician both on the stage and in the studio. I will cherish the many gigs we played together and the albums that we made and I will always be grateful to the indelible contribution that Dave gave to Judas Priest.

“My sincere condolences to all of Dave’s loved ones, family and friends and to all of the fans that so much appreciated Dave’s musical ability and his life’s work. R.I.P. Dave.”

Holland co-formed Trapeze with Glenn Hughes in 1969 and played on all six of their albums. He joined Judas Priest in 1979 and went on to appear on many of the band’s classic records including British Steel, Screaming For Vengeance and Turbo.

In 2004, Holland was convicted of attempting to rape a 17-year-old with learning difficulties who he’d been giving drum lessons to.

Holland denied the charge, but was found guilty of one charge of attempted rape and five counts of indecent assault. He was jailed for eight years in the UK and moved to Spain following his release.

No cause of death has been reported, but Spanish newspaper El Progreso say that he died on January 16 and has been cremated.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.