Paul Di’Anno, Iron Maiden’s Frontman on First Recordings, Dead at 66

Paul DiAnno, the vocalist who sang with Iron Maiden on their earliest releases, has died. He was 66.

Di’Anno’s death was confirmed in a note shared on his Facebook page by the metal label, Conquest Music, on behalf of the Di’Anno’s family. It said Di’Anno — whose real name was Paul Andrews — died at his home in Salisbury, England. 

“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,” the label said.

No cause of death was given, though the statement did mention that Di’Anno had been “troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair.” Even still, he continued to play shows around the world, “racking up well over 100 shows since 2023″ (despite announcing a retirement of sorts in 2020).

Di’Anno joined Iron Maiden in 1978, at a point when the still-fledgling group had been performing for several years but had yet to settle on a sturdy lineup. Di’Anno’s gruff voice proved a perfect fit for the blistering songs bassist Steve Harris was writing at the time. 

Di’Anno sang on Iron Maiden’s first several release, including their 1979 EP, The Roundhouse Tapes, and their 1980 self-titled debut, which put them at the forefront of a new era of British heavy metal. Di’Anno, along with providing vocals, contributed lyrics to several tracks, including the successful singles, “Running Free” and “Sanctuary.” 

A couple of Iron Maiden live recordings with Di’Anno were pressed onto the 1980 EP, Live!! +one. Di’Anno also sang on Iron Maiden’s 1981 sophomore effort, Killers. But soon after, Di’Anno was booted from the band, allegedly over his drug use and partying. (He was replaced by Iron Maiden’s eventual longtime vocalist, Bruce Dickinson.)

Speaking with Metal Hammer in 2022, DiAnno said he didn’t “blame” Iron Maiden for firing him, but added, “I wish I’d been able to contribute more. After a while that got me down. In the end, I couldn’t give 100 percent to Maiden anymore and it wasn’t fair to the band, the fans, or to myself.”

Of his contributions to the Maiden discography, as well as heavy metal in general, Di’Anno said: “The two albums I made with the band were pivotal. Later on in my life when I met Metallica, Pantera, and Sepultura, and they told me that those albums were what got them into music, it made me incredibly proud.”

Di’Anno stuck with music after leaving Iron Maiden. He played in an array of bands over the years, including Battlezone, Killers, Gogmagog, and also dropped numerous solo releases. In the Nineties, he briefly joined the group Praying Mantis to record a live album alongside fellow former Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton. 

Just last month, Di’Anno released a career retrospective album, The Book of the Beast, which collects a variety of his post-Iron Maiden material. It also features two new versions of Iron Maiden classics, “Wrathchild” and “Remember Tomorrow,” turned into duets with Z P Theart and Tony Martin, respectively.

From Rolling Stone US.