Original Iron Maiden singer, Paul Di’Anno dies Aged 66

Paul Di’Anno, the original singer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has lost his life at the age of 66.

The musician featured on the band’s first two albums, Iron Maiden and Killers, establishing them as a crucial part of the new wave of British heavy metal.

He left the band in 1981 and was replaced by Bruce Dickinson. Di’Anno later admitted he had been partying “non-stop, 24 hours a day” and that the impact of his lifestyle “wasn’t fair to the band, the fans, or myself”.

The band’s current members paid tribute, saying they were “all deeply saddened” by his death.

“At least he was still gigging until recently, it kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace mate.”

The rest of the band’s statement said: “Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been traveling 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.“

Di’Anno’s demise was announced by record label Conquest Music, on behalf of his family.

In a statement, they said Di’Anno had “passed away at his home in Salisbury“. No cause of death was given.

“Conquest Music is proud to have had Paul Di’Anno in our artist family and ask his legion of fans to raise a glass in his memory,” they added.

Born in Chingford, east London, in 1958, Di’Anno sang with numerous bands as a teenager, while working as a butcher and a chef.

In 1977, he befriended Harris, who was seeking a singer for his up-and-coming metal band Iron Maiden. Di’Anno auditioned and got the job.

Their sound was an anomaly during the ascendancy of punk rock, and they struggled to get gigs outside London. To address the issue, they decided to make a demo tape to drum up business.

Known as the Soundhouse Tapes, the three-track demo gained them a cult following, selling 5,000 copies by mail order.

By 1979, they had secured a record deal with EMI and started recording their self-titled debut.

Although it was put together in a hurry, the record was hugely influential – with its combination of punk intensity and rock riffs setting the template for heavy metal in the 1980s.

It entered the UK album chart at number four in April 1980, and the success of the single Running Free earned the band a coveted spot on the music TV show Top of the Pops.

The follow-up album, 1981’s Killers, had a harder sound again. But after a world tour, Di’Anno was either kicked out of the band or left on his own accord.

Either way, he said success had led him to a dark place.

“I was already a fairly excessive character, but there I went for it,” he told Rock Hard magazine in 2004.

“I was on another planet, as well as the rest of the band.“

With Dickinson taking over, Iron Maiden went on to become one of rock’s most successful groups, with genre-defining hits like Run To The Hills and Can I Play With Madness.