The metal world suffered a great loss last month when former Iron Maiden vocalist and solo metal artist Paul Di’Anno suddenly passed away in his home at 66 years old. Fans, former bandmates, and really anyone that ever met the dude shared their stories about how awesome he was and tributes poured in as a result of his passing.
Thanks to a recent posting by Di’Anno’s family, we now know that an apparent catastrophic heart issue caused him to pass away. According to those close to him, they believe it was quick and painless death.
The full statement from the Di’Anno family is as follows:
“Dear fans and friends, we have received permission from Paul’s family to bring you the news of Paul’s cause of death, after the results of the autopsy have been received. His sisters Cheryl and Michelle confirmed the following: ‘Basically he had a tear in the sac around the heart and blood has filled inside it from the main aorta artery and that has caused the heart to stop.’ Paul’s death was instantaneous and hopefully painless. May he rest in peace.
“This weekend, an In Memoriam show was held at Underworld Camden, where many of Paul’s fans, friends, colleagues and family members came. With a magnificent musical set, his musical colleagues said a worthy farewell to their friend.”
Featured on Iron Maiden’s first two albums Iron Maiden and Killers, Di’Anno remained a member of the band from 1978 to 1981. During that time, he contributed stellar performances that metalheads still revere to this day, including songs like “Phantom of the Opera,” “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, “and “Wrathchild.”
Following his time in Maiden, Di’Anno eventaully fronted Praying Mantis from 1989 to 1990 and Battlezone from 1985 to 1998. He eventually kicked off his solo career in 1997. Most recently, he released an album with his latest project Warhorse this past July.
We once again want to offer our deepest condolences to Di’Anno’s friends, family, former bandmates, and really anyone affected by his passing. He was a legend in his time and thankfully, his music will live on.
