Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, died on Monday at his home in Salisbury, England, at the age of 66.
Conquest Music record label confirmed Di’Anno’s death in a statement on Monday, according to a report by Daily Mail.
“Paul passed away at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66,” the statement read. “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.”
“He sang on their groundbreaking debut album ‘Iron Maiden,’ and the influential follow up release, ‘Killers,'” the statement continued.
Conquest Music went on to say, “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.”
“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 statement read.
“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,” the record label 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,” the statement concluded.
Di’Anno was the frontman for Iron Maiden, and was featured on two of the band’s albums, their self-titled 1980 album, “Iron Maiden,” and their 1981 their follow-up album, “Killers.”
In 1981, the heavy metal singer left the band and was replaced with frontman Bruce Dickinson, who is the current vocalist for Iron Maiden.
Di’Anno, who had been wheelchair-bound since 2021, left Iron Maiden “after developing a crippling fondness for cocaine,” Daily Mail reported.
“It wasn’t just that I was snorting a bit of coke, I was just going for it non-stop 24 hours a day, every day,” the ex-Iron Maiden singer previously said of his substance usage. “The band had commitments piling up and I just couldn’t see my way to the end of it.”
Di’Anno had been married five times, and fathered six children.
The news of Di’Anno’s death arrives on the heels of Iron Maiden, which was formed in 1975, announcing its 50th anniversary tour.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
