Paul Di’Anno, the original singer of the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, has died at 66, according to a statement from his levels on behalf of his family.
He had been struggling with illness for several years, yet no cause of death has been announced.
Di’Anno was the main singer of Iron Maiden from 1978 through 1981. He sang on the group’s self-titled debut album and its iconic follow-up, “Killers”.
Bruce Dickinson, who has remained the band’s singer ever since, replaced Paul Di’Anno.
In the years afterwards, Di’Anno admitted he had been partying non-stop, 24 hours a day. He expressed that his lifestyle impacted his lifestyle, and was not fair to the band, to the fans, and himself.
The current members of the band paid tribute, and they said that they were deeply saddened by the death of Paul Di’Anno.
Bass player, Steve Harris, said that it was just so sad that he passed away, in a statement on social media.
Harris also expressed that at least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. Harris also added that Di’Anno will be missed by them all. “Rest in peace mate”.
The rest of the band’s statement said that Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set them on the path they have been travelling as a band for almost five decades.
Paul Di’Anno’s pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and in their first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by them, but by fans around the globe.
Di’Anno was born in Chingford, East London, in 1958, he sang with numerous bands as a teenager, while working as a chef and a butcher.
In 1977, Harris was seeking a singer for his up-and-coming metal band Iron Maiden, Di’Anno auditioned and received the job.
They struggled to get gids outside London and to address the issue, they decided to make a demo tape for drumming up the business.
In 1979, they secured a recording deal with EMI and started recording their self-titled debut.
The record was hugely influential, with the combination of punk intensity and rock riffs setting the template for heavy metal during the 1980s.
The follow-up album, Killers, had a harder sound again in 1981. But, after a world tour, either Di’Anno was kicked out of the band or left of his own accord.
However, he said that success had led him to a dark place.
He expressed in a statement to Rock Hard magazine in 2004 that he was already a fairly excessive character, but there he really went for that. He added, “I was on another planet, as well as the rest of the band”.
In recent years, he had been carrying a wheelchair because of several health issues including lymphedema. In 2022, fans helped him raise money to have a major knee surgery in Croatia.
However, despite that, he kept up a touring schedule and played more than 100 shows in 2023 and 2024.
The Book of the Beast a career retrospective album, was released last month.
A documentary about his life is scheduled to be released at the end of this year.
