Early Iron Maiden Singer Paul Di’Anno Dead At 66
Paul Di’Anno, the lead singer for heavy metal icons Iron Maiden on their first two albums, has died, Variety reports. No cause of death has been reported, but Di’Anno, born Paul Andrews, has struggled with his health in recent years. He was 66.!–more–> After guitarist Steve Harris formed Maiden on Christmas 1975, Di’Anno joined the band in 1978 and was the vocalist on their first two albums, 1980’s Iron Maiden and 1981’s Killers, both of which placed highly in our ranking of the band’s catalog. In that feature, Adrian Begrand wrote, “Di’Anno was always most at home when singing the band’s more abrasive material, and ‘Running Free’ is his defining moment as a metal singer.” Di’Anno was dismissed from the band due to his excessive drug use in 1981 and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. In subsequent years, Di’Anno released lots of music as a solo artist and with the bands Gogmagog, Di’Anno’s Battlezone, Killers, Rockfellas, and Warhorse. Last month he released The Book Of The Beast, a compilation featuring highlights…
21 Oct 21:20 · Stereogum