(Gray News) – The original frontman of the legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden has died at the age of 66, according to the band.
Iron Maiden released a statement on Monday saying Paul Di’Anno passed earlier that day.
“Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been traveling as a band for almost five decades,” the band wrote. “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.”
Iron Maiden’s bassist and founding member Steve Harris said he had been in contact with Di’Anno and said Di’Anno had been able to fulfill his passion by continuing to perform in recent years.
“He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace mate,” Harris said.
Di’Anno was born Paul Andrews in 1958 in Chingford, East London, later taking on the stage name Di’Anno. He joined Iron Maiden in 1978 and would be with the band until 1981.
Di’Anno was the band’s frontman for its first two studio albums, 1980’s “Iron Maiden” and 1981’s “Killers.”
While struggling with drug addiction, Di’Anno was eventually replaced as Iron Maiden’s lead singer by Bruce Dickinson.
After Iron Maiden, Di’Anno started a project called Lonewolf, which would eventually be changed to Di’Anno. He would go on to perform with a number of different groups in the following decades, including Gogmagog, Battlezone and Killers.
Di’Anno’s longtime label Conquest Music released a statement regarding his death, saying he had continued performing even after suffering a decline in his health before his death.
“Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023,” the label said.
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