Former Iron Maiden frontman Blaze Bayley appeared in the new issue of Metal Hammer, where he paid tribute to the band’s late, previous singer Paul Di’Anno.
“In our heavy metal world, he’s almost as important as Elvis Presley,” Bayley said of Di’Anno.”That voice will always touch you, he had some kind of edge there. His attitude came over so well in his delivery, and his voice and melody matched the music so powerfully.”
“There were some nights, close your eyes and it was better than anything he’d ever recorded,” he added. “If he did a few nights in a row then he started to suffer a bit. But if you caught him after a couple of days off, oh man… he was incredible, just awesome.”
Di’Anno passed away in October after battling several health issues.
Di’Anno’s family revealed the cause of his death a few weeks after his passing. They posted a statement on Di’Anno’s Facebook page on November 11th. “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,” they wrote.
The statement ended by mentioning a memorial show held at Underworld Camden, attended by many of Di’Anno’s fans, friends, colleagues, and family members. Di’Anno had performed there just a year prior in 2023 and had intended to return before his passing. The event featured performances by Electric Gypsy, Gypsy’s Kiss, and Hi-On Maiden. These bands were meant to support parts of a planned future tour with Di’Anno, but the tour never happened.
Di’Anno sang on Maiden’s first two albums. Following his death, his former bandmate Steve Harris and current Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson both paid tribute to the singer. Dickinson honored Di’Anno at an Iron Maiden concert in Minnesota just days after his passing.
In recent years, Di’Anno faced health challenges, including two knee replacement surgeries due to motorcycle accidents. The accident left him in a wheelchair. He announced his retirement from touring in 2020 on his doctor’s advice.
