Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno dead at 66
Di’Anno was the band’s vocalist for their first two albums
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno has died at age 66.
Representatives for Di'Anno confirmed the news to Fox News Digital on Monday, saying the singer died at his home in Salisbury, England.
"On behalf of his family, Conquest Music are sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, professionally known as Paul Di'Anno. Paul passed away at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66," representatives and family for Di'Anno said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Born in Chingford, East London, on 17th May 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of English Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden, between 1978 and 1981."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Di’Anno was the vocalist for the band’s first two albums, "Iron Maiden" and "Killers," in 1980 and 1981, respectively.
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Paul Di'Anno, center, with Iron Maiden bandmates, from left, Steve Harris, Clive Burr, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray in 1981. (Robert Ellis/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
He joined the band in 1978 after it had already gone through several line-up changes with other singers and musicians.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Ultimate Classic Rock, friction within the band, canceled gigs, and less than stellar live performances led Di’Anno and the band to part ways in 1981, and he was replaced by Bruce Dickinson.
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Di'Anno, far right, with the band in 1980. (Virginia Turbett/Redferns)
Di’Anno told Metal Hammer in 2020, "I don't blame them for getting rid of me. Obviously, the band was Steve's [Harris] baby, but 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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added, "The two albums I made with the band were pivotal [to the metal genre]. 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."
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"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 statement also noted, "Since leaving Iron Maiden, Paul Di'Anno had a long and eventful recording career with Battlezone and Killers as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances," adding, "His first career retrospective album, ‘The Book of the Beast’ was released in September 2024 and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving Iron Maiden."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Di’Anno began experiencing health issues in the 2010s, including knee surgery in 2014 that often had him performing live shows in a wheelchair. He also had a cancer scare.
He told Classic Rock, "I collapsed at home after coming back from Argentina and a scan found a massive big black shadow on my lungs. I thought I was on my way out, but it turned out to be non-malignant."
"It was an abscess that was all infected and the size of a rugby ball. It turns out I’ve been living with this thing in me for the last few years," Di’Anno said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Di'Anno had a handful of health problems in recent years, including a cancer scare. (Kevin Nixon/Metal Hammer Magazine/Future via Getty Images/Future via Getty Images)
He added, "I suppose I’m pretty damn lucky, but the last six months have been hard."
His family’s statement said, "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."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They added, "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."