Paul Di’Anno, Former Iron Maiden Singer, Dead at 66 After Facing 'Severe Health Issues'

Mar. 15, 2025

Paul Di’Anno performing in Wales on Nov. 30, 2013.Photo:Kevin Nixon/Metal Hammer Magazine/Future via Getty

English heavy metal musician Paul Di’Anno performing live on stage at the 2013 Hard Rock Hell festival in Pwllheli, Wales, on November 30, 2013.

Kevin Nixon/Metal Hammer Magazine/Future via Getty

FormerIron Maidenvocalist Paul Di’Anno has died; he was 66.

Paul Di’Anno performing with Iron Maiden in Illinois on June 26, 1981.Paul Natkin/Getty

British heavy metal band Iron Maiden performs at Pointe East during their Killer World Tour, Lynwood, Illinois, June 26, 1981

Paul Natkin/Getty

Iron Maiden shared a tribute to their social media alongside a photo of Di’Anno with bassistSteve Harris.

The metal singer dealt with various health conditions prior to his death. In 2021, Di’Anno launched acrowdfundto help pay for knee surgery after discovering a “golf ball-sized abscess” in his leg. His former band contributed to the rest of the costs. In an interview with Mexican news outletMB Live, Di’Anno explained that further complications almost cost him his life.

Paul Di’Anno performing with Iron Maiden.Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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“When I arrived in England, I only had 45 minutes to live, with sepsis and that. So they pumped me full of antibiotics. I spent eight months in hospital,” he explained. “So the last bit of the treatment, the band was really cool — they paid for the last couple of months' worth of treatments, which was good. I’ll be forever grateful for that.”

In the years that followed, Di’Anno faced mounting health concerns.

“I’ve been really ill the last couple of months with infection after infection after infection, ’cause I caught pneumonia last year in Mexico. I was over there doing physio after I finished a tour,” the singer said in an interview withThe Metal Voicein June, four months before his death.

source: people.com