Entertainment Swindon

Paul Di’Anno, the original singer for heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has died at the age of 66. Born Paul Andrews, the musician was the bands lead singer for the first two albums Iron Maiden and Killers before he left the band in 1981, where he was replaced by Bruce Dickinson. Di’Anno would later admit that his non-stop 24hr a day partying was not fair to the band, the fans or to himself.

Di’Anno died at his home in Salisbury, England, his family and his record label, Conquest Music, said in a statement on his official Facebook page. No cause of death was given but Di’Anno had been having medical issues for years, suffering from a weakened immune system after contracting sepsis nine years ago.

The band’s current members paid tribute, saying they were “all deeply saddened” by his death. In a statement on social media, bass player Steve Harris said it was “just so sad he’s gone”.

“At least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace mate.”

The rest of the band’s statement said: “Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades.

“His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world.”

Di’Anno’s death was announced by record label Conquest Music, on behalf of his family.

In a statement, they said Di’Anno had “passed away at his home in Salisbury”. No cause of death was given.

“Conquest Music are proud to have had Paul Di’Anno in our artist family and ask his legion of fans to raise a glass in his memory,” they added.

Born in Chingford, east London, in 1958, Di’Anno sang with numerous bands as a teenager, while working as a butcher and a chef.

In 1977, he became friends with Harris, who was seeking a singer for his band Iron Maiden, who at the time were an up-and-coming metal band. Di’Anno auditioned and got the job.

Their sound was an anomaly during the ascendancy of punk rock, and they struggled to get gigs outside London. To address the issue, they decided to make a demo tape to drum up business.

Known as the Soundhouse Tapes, the three-track demo gained them a cult following, selling 5,000 copies by mail order and by 1979, they had secured a record deal with EMI and started recording their self-titled debut album ‘Iron Maiden’ which set a template for heavy metal throughout the 1980s and entered the UK album charts at No4 in April of 1980. Success continued with the single ‘Running Free’ even earned them a spot on the iconic BBC music show Top of the Pops.

The follow-up album from Iron Maiden would be released in 1981, titled ‘Killers’, but after a world tour, Di’Anno was either kicked out of the band or left of his own accord. Either way, he said success had led him to a dark place.

With Dickinson taking over, Iron Maiden went on to become one of the worlds rock bands with hits like ‘Run To The Hills’ and ‘Can I Play With Madness’.

But Di’Anno never held a grudge against the band, or his replacement.

“Everyone thinks that we hated each other, which is [completely wrong],” he told SDTV in an interview last month “That’s the press for you.”

For me, it was Phantom of the Opera that led me to becoming a fan of not only Iron Maiden, but the heavy metal scene at the young age of 11 after seeing the World & Olympic Decathlon legend Daley Thompson Lucozade advert on TV, I was hooked on Rock & Heavy Metal. There is now a blackhole in the world of heavy metal with the loss of Di’Anno.

After leaving Iron Maiden, Di’Anno’s raw, aggressive vocals were cited as an influence by metal bands including Metallica, Pantera and Sepultura.

He stayed in music, both a solo artist and as a member of bands like Gogmagog, Battlezone, Praying Mantis, and Killers.

In recent years, he had been performing in a wheelchair due to serious health issues including lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling of your body tissue. In 2022, fans helped him raise money to have major knee surgery in Croatia.

Despite that, he kept up a robust touring schedule, playing more than 100 shows in 2023 and 2024.

A career retrospective album, The Book of the Beast, was released last month, including highlights from his solo career and two “reworked” versions of Iron Maiden songs Tomorrow and Wrathchild.

A documentary about his life is scheduled for release at the end of the year.

Di’Anno will be sadly missed.