Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno dead at 66

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  • FORD
    ROTH ARMY MODERATOR

    • Jan 2004
    • 59156

    Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno dead at 66

    loudersound.com
    Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno dead at 66

    Merlin Alderslade
    7–9 minutes








    (Image credit: Getty Images) Former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno has died aged 66, it has been confirmed. The news was shared via Di'Anno's label, Conquest Music, on behalf of the singer's family.
    "On behalf of his family, Conquest Music are sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, professionally known as Paul Di'Anno," a statement from the label reads. "Paul passed away at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.
    "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.
    "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.

    "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.

    "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."
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    Di'Anno joined Iron Maiden in 1978 after being invited to audition for the band - though he claimed years later he wasn't sure if he'd exactly be a perfect fit for the upcoming London heavy metallers.

    "I went to see them play at the Cart And Horses in East London, and their old singer [Dennis Wilcock] had this silly sword and fake blood dripping from his mouth," he told Metal Hammer's Paul Brannigan in 2002. "Me and my mate were pissing ourselves laughing. When I got introduced to [Iron Maiden founder, bassist and lead songwriter] Steve Harris I couldn’t keep a straight face. And when he talked about me going for an audition I thought, ‘Bleeding hell, I don’t fancy prancing around with a sword.'"

    Ultimately, Di'Anno got the job; his reckless, mischievous energy gave Maiden an extra dimension that only boosted their rise to the forefront of the explosive New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement. The hype around the band's live shows and debut EP, The Soundhouse Tapes, which dropped in November 1979, meant that come April 14 the following year, Iron Maiden's first album was one of the most anticipated releases in metal.

    Their self-titled debut was a thrilling burst of galloping heavy metal thunder, sprinkled with subtle flourishes of Steve's Harris' beloved prog rock and underpinned by a production and rawness that owed more than a little to punk.

    "If there was a punk element to Iron Maiden at that point it probably came from me – especially onstage,” Di'Anno told Metal Hammer in 2020. “There’s no denying it, those songs are bloody fast, though they also have some proggy time-changes in them. That’s what made us so unique."
    Iron Maiden - Wrathchild (Live At The Rainbow) - YouTube


    Di'Anno made just one more album with Iron Maiden - 1981's expansive and influential Killers - before his battles with addiction, disdain for the touring lifestyle and frequent run-ins with Steve Harris led to his dismissal.
    “I don’t blame them for getting rid of me," Di'Anno later admitted to Metal Hammer. "Obviously, the band was Steve’s 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 per cent to Maiden anymore and it wasn’t fair to the band, the fans or to myself."
    Di'Anno's career from that point on was characterised by a combination of steely determination and various controversies and health battles. He continued to release music for over four decades after departing Maiden, both under his own name and with a variety of metal and hard rock bands, most notably heavy metal hard-hitters Killers and Battlezone, and the short-lived supergroup Gogmagog.
    In 2002, Di'Anno drew attention for his eye-popping autobiography, The Beast, with its unflinching depictions of sex, drug abuse and Di'Anno's treatment of women drawing ire from some fans and, indeed, Di'Anno's loved ones.
    "When my first wife Beverley, who’s my best friend in all the world, read it, she said ‘That’s not the bloke I married’," Di'Anno told Paul Brannigan that year. "I said, ‘Well, it was your bleeding fault it went tits up in the first place’. My aunt and uncle both bought the book, and my aunt took it back to the shop. ‘Fucking disgusting’, she said, ‘I’m not reading that filth.’”
    In later years, Di'Anno would openly acknowledge his past bad behaviour, freely admitting the negative effect it had had on his career and life.
    "When you’re fucked up on drugs and alcohol you turn into a complete prick, a fucking psychopath," he explained to Brannigan in 2002. "I’m not proud of some things I’ve done in the past, but these days I’m more likely to take a smack in the mouth than dish it out.”
    "If you could see me at home with my kids, you wouldn’t think I’m scary," he claimed. "I’m drug free now and I’ve got a bit of focus back in my life and a lot of the aggressiveness of the past is gone now.”
    Despite Di'Anno seemingly turning a corner with many of his behaviours, trouble still found him: he was jailed for nine months in 2011 for benefit fraud, serving two months.
    Over the past decade, Di'Anno continued to play live and tour semi-regularly, though ongoing health issues saw him largely confined to a wheelchair during his final years. In 2023, it was revealed that his former band Iron Maiden had contributed to a fundraiser to help the singer raise money for some vital knee surgery. "They paid for the last couple of months' worth of treatments, which was good," Di'Anno revealed. "I'll be forever grateful for that."
    Paul Di'Anno's final show was at Hype Park in Krak?w, Poland, on August 30 of this year. Despite once stating that he didn't want to become an "Iron Maiden karaoke band", the set, like many of Di'Anno's, was composed entirely of covers from his time in Maiden. That setlist underlined his enduring connecting to British metal's biggest ever export, and to the foundations of British heavy metal itself.
    "The two albums I made with the band were pivotal,” he told Metal Hammer in 2020. “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.”









    Eat Us And Smile

    Cenk For America 2024!!

    Justice Democrats


    "If the American people had ever known the truth about what we (the BCE) have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched." - Poppy Bush, 1992
  • FORD
    ROTH ARMY MODERATOR

    • Jan 2004
    • 59156

    #2
    Eat Us And Smile

    Cenk For America 2024!!

    Justice Democrats


    "If the American people had ever known the truth about what we (the BCE) have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched." - Poppy Bush, 1992

    Comment

    • FORD
      ROTH ARMY MODERATOR

      • Jan 2004
      • 59156

      #3
      Good Lord, this is just sad.....

      Eat Us And Smile

      Cenk For America 2024!!

      Justice Democrats


      "If the American people had ever known the truth about what we (the BCE) have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets and lynched." - Poppy Bush, 1992

      Comment

      • Seshmeister
        ROTH ARMY WEBMASTER

        • Oct 2003
        • 35451

        #4
        I was actually planning to go see him in a couple of weeks for the first time - I only ever liked early Iron Maiden.

        Comment

        • Kristy
          DIAMOND STATUS
          • Aug 2004
          • 16493

          #5
          Yeah, I don't give a shit.

          Comment

          • Terry
            DIAMOND STATUS
            • Jan 2004
            • 12045

            #6
            Originally posted by FORD
            Good Lord, this is just sad.....

            It's one of those things where if that was what he wanted to do, better that than wasting away in a hospice or whatnot.

            On the other hand, that's not something I'd want to pay and go see as a fan.
            Scramby eggs and bacon.

            Comment

            • Seshmeister
              ROTH ARMY WEBMASTER

              • Oct 2003
              • 35451

              #7
              Originally posted by Terry

              On the other hand, that's not something I'd want to pay and go see as a fan.
              That was my initial thoughts and then I was thinking about how many gigs I had gone to with Ozzy moving around about as much and with worse singing. Plus the tickets were only about $30 or so.

              Comment

              • Terry
                DIAMOND STATUS
                • Jan 2004
                • 12045

                #8
                Originally posted by Seshmeister
                I was actually planning to go see him in a couple of weeks for the first time - I only ever liked early Iron Maiden.
                I liked the early Maiden stuff, but for me the best stuff they ever did was that one, two, three combo of Beast, Mind and Powerslave. Just three fantastic albums.

                Which, no slag against Di'Anno, but to me the band took a move up when they got Dickinson. They took another move up after Clive Burr left. Which, again, isn't to say Di'Anno (or Burr, for that matter) were subpar or anything like that. Bruce and Nico were just a bit better.
                Scramby eggs and bacon.

                Comment

                • Terry
                  DIAMOND STATUS
                  • Jan 2004
                  • 12045

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Seshmeister

                  That was my initial thoughts and then I was thinking about how many gigs I had gone to with Ozzy moving around about as much and with worse singing. Plus the tickets were only about $30 or so.
                  We had a chance to see Sabbath in...2015, I think. Caught a few clips of the tour before tix went on sale. It sounded like the guitars were tuned down even more - keeping in mind Sabbath tuned down to begin with - and the vocals sounded bad even by Ozzy standards. Not only didn't the vocals sound good, but the songs sounded weird due to the downtuning. I wasn't inclined to go anyway after Bill Ward pulled out, but hearing those tuned down guitars and shitty vocals, I was just like, nope. I think the tix were around $50 or so, which was cheap, and I still gave it a pass.

                  Scramby eggs and bacon.

                  Comment

                  • Seshmeister
                    ROTH ARMY WEBMASTER

                    • Oct 2003
                    • 35451

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Terry

                    We had a chance to see Sabbath in...2015, I think. Caught a few clips of the tour before tix went on sale. It sounded like the guitars were tuned down even more - keeping in mind Sabbath tuned down to begin with - and the vocals sounded bad even by Ozzy standards. Not only didn't the vocals sound good, but the songs sounded weird due to the downtuning. I wasn't inclined to go anyway after Bill Ward pulled out, but hearing those tuned down guitars and shitty vocals, I was just like, nope. I think the tix were around $50 or so, which was cheap, and I still gave it a pass.
                    I was at one of the last Sabbath shows in 2017 and the vocals were good. Surprisingly good, some people would say suspiciously good...

                    Eddie Trunk is a seasoned radio personality, talk show host, and author, he has dominated the hard rock and heavy metal scene with his electrifying shows, including the legendary That Metal Show and Eddie Trunk Rocks.


                    Comment

                    • Seshmeister
                      ROTH ARMY WEBMASTER

                      • Oct 2003
                      • 35451

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Terry

                      I liked the early Maiden stuff, but for me the best stuff they ever did was that one, two, three combo of Beast, Mind and Powerslave. Just three fantastic albums.

                      Which, no slag against Di'Anno, but to me the band took a move up when they got Dickinson. They took another move up after Clive Burr left. Which, again, isn't to say Di'Anno (or Burr, for that matter) were subpar or anything like that. Bruce and Nico were just a bit better.
                      Totally disagree with you on Burr v Nico.

                      Comment

                      • Terry
                        DIAMOND STATUS
                        • Jan 2004
                        • 12045

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Seshmeister

                        I was at one of the last Sabbath shows in 2017 and the vocals were good. Surprisingly good, some people would say suspiciously good...

                        Eddie Trunk is a seasoned radio personality, talk show host, and author, he has dominated the hard rock and heavy metal scene with his electrifying shows, including the legendary That Metal Show and Eddie Trunk Rocks.

                        Courtesy of Trunk's website, Eddie Trunk has dominated the hardrock and heavy metal scene with his electrifying shows? Haha! He is referring to his now defunct VH1 That Metal Show and his current talk radio (or podcast, or whatever) show? Yeah, electrifying.

                        As for the Sabbath 2017 shows, was your inference that the vocals were a bit too good to be true/performed live without any offstage pre-recorded enhancements? Wouldn't surprise me if Ozzy was singing along with backing tracks. It'd be more surprising if he wasn't.
                        Scramby eggs and bacon.

                        Comment

                        • Terry
                          DIAMOND STATUS
                          • Jan 2004
                          • 12045

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Seshmeister

                          Totally disagree with you on Burr v Nico.
                          Burr was a good drummer. Nico was just a bit better.
                          Scramby eggs and bacon.

                          Comment

                          • Seshmeister
                            ROTH ARMY WEBMASTER

                            • Oct 2003
                            • 35451

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Terry

                            Courtesy of Trunk's website, Eddie Trunk has dominated the hardrock and heavy metal scene with his electrifying shows? Haha! He is referring to his now defunct VH1 That Metal Show and his current talk radio (or podcast, or whatever) show? Yeah, electrifying.

                            As for the Sabbath 2017 shows, was your inference that the vocals were a bit too good to be true/performed live without any offstage pre-recorded enhancements? Wouldn't surprise me if Ozzy was singing along with backing tracks. It'd be more surprising if he wasn't.
                            I hate Trunk but I had already posted before I realized the story about the backstage singer was from his site.

                            On the singing thing it just seemed weird that after standing watching Ozzy butcher and struggle through sets for over 30 years the last time I see him he suddenly starts singing so well.

                            For a minute I wondered if maybe he could always sing Sabbath and it was his solo material that caused him issues but that makes no sense especially when you know that 35 years earlier virtually all the vocals on Speak of the Devil had to be redone in the studio.

                            Comment

                            • Terry
                              DIAMOND STATUS
                              • Jan 2004
                              • 12045

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Seshmeister

                              I hate Trunk but I had already posted before I realized the story about the backstage singer was from his site.

                              On the singing thing it just seemed weird that after standing watching Ozzy butcher and struggle through sets for over 30 years the last time I see him he suddenly starts singing so well.

                              For a minute I wondered if maybe he could always sing Sabbath and it was his solo material that caused him issues but that makes no sense especially when you know that 35 years earlier virtually all the vocals on Speak of the Devil had to be redone in the studio.
                              I certainly never assumed you were a Trunk fanboi, rather I was bemused by Trunk's consistently bloated sense of self-importance. It's like, dude, by the time anyone knew who you were the hardrock and heavymetal 'scene' as such in the 2000's had already devolved into over-the-hill bands trotting out on neverending nostalgia tours. Trunk seems to think he is as important as the musicians themselves.

                              With Ozzy, he was never a particularly great singer. A distinctive voice that certainly fit the material. Memorable personality and showman. By no means an outstanding vocalist in the technical sense. That was apparent when I saw him in '84 and '86. More of a cheerleader. In point of fact, when I think about it, it has been the case where usually the musicians behind him - be it in Sabbath or his various 80's solo band lineups - were a bit more competent than he was.

                              I have that performance he did with Sabbath in 1978 for the Never Say Die tour, filmed at the Hammersmith Odeon. I picked the dvd up in the early 2000's, but my understanding is the audio is identical to the VHS release originally put out in 1980. Ozzy sounds sturdy enough performance-wise. From what I recall, watching it I didn't see any egregious instances of, say, Ozzy's mouth being too far away from the mic with no corresponding decrease in volume. Contrasted with the dvd video release of the 1982 Speak of the Devil show, where it becomes readily apparent probably all the vocals were re-recorded post-performance.
                              Scramby eggs and bacon.

                              Comment

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