Iron Maiden star Paul Di'Anno's ‘severe health issues’ before death revealed

Paul Di'Anno was the original frontman of Iron Maiden, and sang on the rock band’s first two albums - Iron Maiden in 1980, and Killers in 1981 - before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson

Original Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno battled “severe health issues” before his death at the age of 66.

The rocker was the first frontman of Iron Maiden, and sang on the British heavy metal band’s first two albums - Iron Maiden in 1980, and Killers in 1981 - before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson. A statement released on Monday announced the singer, real name Paul Andrews, passed away at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Record label Conquest Music confirmed Paul’s death, and revealed he had been battling a string of health issues in the run up to his death. “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,” it read. “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.”

Paul was fired from the band in 1981, and revealed he had been partying “non-stop, 24 hours a day” after developing an addiction to cocaine. In Mick Wall’s book Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography, he said his behaviour “wasn’t fair” on the band and their fans. “It wasn’t just that I was snorting a bit of coke, though; I was just going for it non-stop, 24 hours a day, every day... the band had commitments piling up that went on for months, years, and I just couldn’t see my way to the end of it. I knew I’d never last the whole tour. It was too much,” Paul recalled.

After being replaced in Iron Maiden, Paul fronted his own band called Di’Anno from 1983 to 1985, and also served as the frontman on other heavy metal bands such as Gogmagog, Battlezone, Praying Mantis and Killers. He has been married five times and has six children, and in 2021, a fundraising page was created to help him pay for knee surgery.

Friends of the rocker managed to raise almost £30,000 by June 2022 after asking fans to help out “the beast”, who had been waiting “six or seven years” for an operation on both his knees. “Paul waited for the past 6 - 7 years to get this surgery done but now it looks the only way to get it done and quick is privately. We are trying to raise funds in a bid to get him walking again,” the page read. “Paul has been in a wheelchair for about 8 years now and his condition is not getting better.”

Paul’s former Iron Maiden bandmates paid a heartfelt tribute to their original frontman, as they said they were “deeply saddened” by his death. “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,” they said.

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