Paul Mario Day, the original frontman of heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has died, aged 69.
His death was confirmed by More, another metal act that he fronted from 1980 until 1981. In a statement on social media, More wrote: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great More vocalist Paul Mario Day.
“Paul was a huge part of the NWOBHM [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.
“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 and David Coverdale, as well as tours with Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and many other legendary artists.”
The band added that they’ll “always think of him” when they play “Warhead” and extended their “deepest condolences to Paul’s family and friends”.
No cause of death has been announced, but it was reported that Day passed away peacefully at his home in Newcastle, Australia, on Tuesday (29 July).
Day, who was born in Whitechapel, London, in 1956, made metal history in December 1975 when he became Iron Maiden’s first vocalist, aged just 19.
Day would perform as part of the band’s first-ever gig at the St Nicholas Hall in Poplar, London, in May 1976. His tenure with the “Run to the Hills” act was short-lived, lasting less than a year before being replaced by Dennis Wilcock in October 1976.
Wilcock was later replaced by Paul Di’Anno, who performed on the band’s first two albums before he was replaced by Bruce Dickinson, who remains with the band.
Speaking to the Danish publication Power of Metal in 2019, Day revealed that he was kicked out of Iron Maiden for his lack of stage presence. He said: “I got a warning for maybe three months: 'Get it together. Get it together.' And I wanted to, I just didn't know how to do it. So the funny thing is, the worst experience was the best lesson because when I got that notice and I felt so gutted, it changed me.
“As much as it hurt, as much as it upset me, I learnt a big lesson that day. I really did. I used that emotion, I guess, in my singing."
We are deeply saddened that Paul Mario Day, Iron Maiden’s first ever vocalist back in 1975, has passed away. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to Paul’s family and friends.
— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) July 30, 2025
Paul was a lovely person and good mate.
Rest in peace Paul. pic.twitter.com/7vR5w1l9mZ
Iron Maiden paid tribute to Day in their post about his death. Sharing a throwback picture of him with the band, Iron Maiden said that they were “deeply saddened” and called the singer “a lovely person and good mate”.
Day went on to form More in 1980 with the band releasing their debut album, Warhead, in 1981. However, he would leave the group before the release of their second and final album, 1982’s Blood & Thunder.
After leaving More, he briefly fronted Wildfire from 1983 until 1984. The most successful period of his career came in 1985 when he joined a reformed version of the glam rock band Sweet, along with guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker.
In a tribute post on Instagram, Scott wrote: “In 1985, Mick Tucker and myself put together the first new line-up of Sweet after the hiatus of the original band. We needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition, we looked no further.“
The band would go on to tour in Australia and the UK and produced the album “Live at the Marquee” from one of their sold-out gigs.
Scott said that “Paul’s vocal performance has stood the test of time”, adding that he extended his “deepest condolences to his wife Cecily, family and friends” and that it was a “sad day for all Sweet fans”.
Following his engagement to his wife, Day relocated to Australia in 1986 and continued to perform with metal acts such as Defaced and Buffalo Crows.
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