Paul Di’Anno, the metal singer who fronted Iron Maiden in the band’s early days, has died at age 66.
Di’Anno’s death was announced Monday by his family and music label. The singer had been suffering from “severe health issues” in recent years that forced him to perform in a wheelchair, according to the label, Conquest Music.
“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,” read a statement on Di’Anno’s Facebook page.
Di’Anno, whose legal name was Paul Andrews, was best known for performing on Iron Maiden’s early releases, including the band’s self-titled debut album and its stellar second album, “Killers.”
However, Di’Anno was kicked out and replaced by Bruce Dickinson before Iron Maiden’s breakthrough third album, “The Number of the Beast.”
“I don’t blame them for getting rid of me,” Di’Anno told Metal Hammer in a 2022 interview. Obviously, the band was [bassist Steve 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.”
Di’Anno went on to front several other metal bands throughout the 1980s and 90s, including Battlezone and Killers. After playing numerous shows in 2023 and 2024, Di’Anno had planned to retire from the music industry.