iron Maiden Shout-out to original lead singer Paul Di’Anno – who died For unknown reasons at 66 on Monday – Tuesday night in concert.
The tribute to Di’Anno — who fronted the metal band on its first two albums, 1980’s “Iron Maiden” and 1981’s “Killers” — came during a show at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“I don’t want to interrupt the proceedings at all,” said Bruce Dickinson – who took over as lead singer after Di’Anno – a video posted by a fan said,[but] As you probably know, our friend, our band member, Paul Di’Anno passed away. And if you’re not aware of that fact, now you know.
Dickinson continued to pay tribute to his “phenomenal” predecessor: “Paul played a vital role on the first two albums… an amazing voice, dedicated to rock ‘n’ roll to the last moment of his life.”
In fact, Di’Anno continued performing even while confined to a wheelchair due to health problems.
Dickinson then asked the cheering crowd for a moment to remember Di’Anno: “For those of you who were born and still remember those early albums – when obviously I wasn’t in the band. And that was – and for those of you who were fans of what he did with Battlezone and his subsequent projects, and for anyone else who wants to hear tracks like this ‘remember tomorrow’ And things like that, which are absolutely wonderful – I would ask everyone to just take a few seconds.
“Quietly close your eyes and say – just internally, mentally – if you believe in God, if you don’t believe in God, it doesn’t really matter, just what you believe in. Trust him and just say, ‘Thank you, boss, for doing what you did.’ ,
Dickinson delivered a direct message to Di’Anno in later life: “So, Paul, if you’re listening, this is a little message from Minneapolis wherever you are, up or down…Minneapolis, Paul. For D’Anno, play louder for me!”
D’Anno, who was born Paul Andrews, died at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. his label announced his death in a statement: “On behalf of his family, Conquest Music is saddened to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, known professionally as Paul Di’Anno.”
The statement said Di’Anno has performed more than 100 shows since 2023, even while in a wheelchair, and in September released a retrospective of his post-Maiden work, “The Book of the Beast.”
The label concluded, “Conquest Music is proud to have Paul Di’Anno in our artist family and we ask his fans to raise a glass to his memory.”
Iron Maiden too issued a statement On Monday.
“We are all deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Paul Dino today. Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been traveling as a band for nearly five decades,” the statement said. “His pioneering presence as a frontman and singer, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be fondly remembered not only by us, but by fans around the world.”
