The rocker died alone and penniless in his tiny council flat while his former bandmates are multi millionaires.
Iron Maiden paid tribute to their former bandmate(Image: GettyImages)
Paul Di’Anno, the original frontman of Iron Maiden, passed away late last year at the age of 66, penniless and alone. Once at the forefront of one of the world’s most influential heavy metal bands, Di’Anno’s time with Iron Maiden was brief but very significant.
The rocker provided vocals on the band’s first two hit albums, Iron Maiden and Killers, which helped establish the band as rising stars of the British rock metal scene. Despite their success, he was dismissed from the group in 1981 when he was 23 years old.
According to reports, Di’Anno, who was born Paul Andrews, had a weakness for hard partying and drugs which created tensions within the band, making it difficult for him to keep up with their touring schedule. He was soon replaced by Bruce Dickinson, who has since fronted the band.
In later life, he faced multiple health battles and was confined to a wheelchair and forced to sign away his royalty rights for £50,000, the Express reports.
Last year the 66-year-old was found lying unresponsive in his ground-floor apartment in Wiltshire, where he had been living alone.
Iron Maiden frontman Bruce lead a tribute for Paul, during a gig near the time of his passing, speaking fondly of him, he told the crowd: “So, Paul, if you’re listening, this is a little message from Minneapolis to wherever you are, upstairs or downstairs, you’re having fun! Minneapolis, for Paul Di’Anno, scream for me!”
Paul was left reliant on a wheelchair after suffering a serious knee injury after an accident on stage in 2015. The damage later developed into sepsis, which led to him being hospitalised for several months.
At the time his neighbour spoke to the MailOnline, saying: “Two nurses or carers greeted the paramedics and let them into the property. I think it must have been them who found Paul and raised the alarm.”
Paul Di’Anno died penniless and alone (Image: GETTY)
The neighbour said Paul was “always smiling and waving” whenever he passed his house.
Following his passing, a statement from Paul’s label read: “On behalf of his family, Conquest Music are sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, professionally known as Paul Di’Anno. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album Iron Maiden, and the influential follow-up release, Killers.”
The statement continued: “Since leaving Iron Maiden, Paul Di’Anno had a long and eventful recording career with Battlezone and Killers as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.”
“Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.”
The statement concluded: “Conquest Music are proud to have had Paul Di’Anno in our artist family and ask his legion of fans to raise a glass in his memory.”
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