First Iron Maiden Singer Paul Di’Anno Dies at 66

Paul Di’Anno, the first singer to record with British metal icons Iron Maiden, has died. Conquest Music shared the news, on behalf of Di’Anno’s family, but did not disclose a cause of death, noting only that the musician had been “troubled by severe health issues in recent years.” Di’Anno was 66 years old.

Di’Anno was born Paul Andrews, in England, in 1958. He was invited by Iron Maiden’s founder and bassist, Steve Harris, to audition for the band in the late 1970s. “I more or less realised that Maiden had the potential to become a successful international act, provided that they found the right line-up and mostly the right frontman,” Di’Anno recalled. “Maiden had had other singers before, but none of them had either the voice or the personality required to make the band a world-class success. That’s when I auditioned that I realised that my voice fitted Metal perfectly and that, although I’d never sung this kind of music before, I was the one Maiden needed to become huge. And also Steve’s incredible confidence in his music and in his band convinced me to accept the job right away, without asking myself any questions.”

Di’Anno—with Harris, guitarists Dave Murray and Dennis Stratton, and drummer Clive Burr—released the first Iron Maiden studio album in April 1980. Harris made just one more album with Iron Maiden, 1981’s Killers, before he was replaced by Bruce Dickinson, who still serves as the group’s lead vocalist.

After leaving Iron Maiden, Di’Anno launched or joined numerous groups, including Di’Anno, Gogmagog, Battlezone, Killers, and Praying Mantis. He also made several solo albums and recorded often with his former Iron Maiden bandmate Dennis Stratton. Di’Anno released his memoir, The Beast, in 2010.

“We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di’Anno earlier today,” Iron Maiden wrote in a group statement. “Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades. 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.”