Halford tells ABC that he is not having the umbilical hernia operation because he is in pain, but he will instead be undergoing the procedure because "it looks like the alien just burst forth!"

He tells them, "My doctors always said, 'We can take care of it,' and I said, 'I'll get around to it.' [The doctor said,] 'If it's not giving you any discomfort then you should leave it as it is,' but it's not very appealing to look at, is it?"

The operation will follow the back surgery that he had last year. ABC reports that he taking his aging in stride. "That's life," he says. "The wonderful thing about heavy metal music is that it's immortal. The music is immortal, but the creators are not bestowed with that attribute."