Paul Mario Day, the original lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, has died at the age of 69.
Family members revealed that the former musician, who fronted the band in the mid-1970s, died at his home in Australia surrounded by loved ones.
Day was just 19 years old when he found fame performing as the frontman of Iron Maiden, when the band was still in its formative years. While he didn’t remain with the band for long, he undoubtedly left his mark as the band ascended to international glory.
Day also went on to perform with several other groups, including the band More, who shared a statement following the news of his passing.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great More vocalist Paul Mario Day," it read. "Paul was a huge part of the NWOBHM 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/D CWhitesnake/DC, Whitesnake, and David Coverdale, as well as tours with Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, and many other legendary artists.”
Here’s what you need to know about the former rock star.
Who was Paul Mario Day and how did he die?
Paul Mario Day was born in London and performed with Iron Maiden back before they shot to international fame in the 1980s.
As the band’s first vocalist, he fronted the group in the mid-1970s and even performed during the group’s maiden concert in St. Nicholas Hall in Poplar, London before they gained mainstream recognition.
“When I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them,” Day said back in 2019. “We were all nobodies all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience.”
He added: “Back then we were all pulling for the same side and it still hurts to think the first-ever song I ever composed was on a big-selling album and nobody knows it was me.”
Alongside his work with Iron Maiden, Day is known to have performed with the bands More and Wildfire before eventually moving to Australia, where he also performed with several bands down under.
It’s understood that Day continued to play music and perform with bands throughout his life.
The family haven’t officially revealed his cause of death, but reports claim that he was suffering from cancer in recent years.
When and why did he leave Iron Maiden?
Day was Iron Maiden’s first vocalist, but he wasn’t the last.
In fact, Day’s tenure with the band was short-lived, and he was eventually replaced by Dennis Wilcock, having been with the band for just over 10 months between December 1975 and October 1976.
He didn’t perform on any recorded material before leaving the band, but was later credited with co-writing the track “Strange World.”
Some reports claim he didn’t display enough charisma on stage.
