Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Mario Day dead at 69
Paul Mario Day, the original vocalist of heavy rock titans Iron Maiden, has died aged 69.
Day’s death was announced by his former band More, who the vocalist joined after leaving Iron Maiden, in a social media message published on July 29th.
They shared: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great MORE vocalist Paul Mario Day. Paul was a huge part of the (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) from his time in an early version of Iron Maiden and of course his fantastic performance on the Warhead album.”
More said of Day’s legacy: “He was a well loved figure in British rock music and played many memorable shows not least the legendary 1981 Monsters of Rock show at Castle Donington with AC/DC, Whitesnake /David Coverdale as well as tours with Iron Maiden Def Leppard and many other legendary artists.”
The group then vowed to honour him at future shows, adding, “It’s an honour for us to continue to play his music and we will always think of him every time we hit the opening notes to ‘Warhead’. We send our deepest condolences to Paul’s family and friends and also the many fans around the world who love his music.”
No cause of death has been revealed.
Day was only a member of Iron Maiden for a short time between 1975 and 1976, before being replaced by Dennis Wilcock, whose stint was also brief. Paul Di’Anno, who died last year, was later anointed as their frontman, performing on their first two records before Bruce Dickinson joined the fray.
After leaving Maiden, Day formed More, which remains active today despite his departure in 1982. He then fronted bands such as Wildfire and Sweet in the 1980s before leaving the UK to start a new life in Australia.
Speaking to Blabbermouth in 2019, Day reflected of the early days in Iron Maiden: “When I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them. We were all nobodys all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience.”
While he never performed with Iron Maiden again after his departure, during a rare visit to England during Christmas in 2018, he reunited with co-founders Steve Harris, Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance, which they shared on social media.
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