Paul Mario Day dead: Original Iron Maiden singer dies as new band pays tribute

Original Iron Maiden singer Paul Mario Day has died at the age of 69.

The singer, who was enlisted by bassist Steve Harris when he formed iconic heavy metal group Iron Maiden in 1975, was the band's first vocalist but had no recorded output to his name. He performed with the group between 1975 and 1976, before he was replaced by Dennis Wilcock. The band's original line-up only lasted for 10 months.

Wilcock was later replaced by Paul Di'Anno, who performed on the heavy metal group's first two albums before the role was taken over, in the longterm, by Bruce Dickinson.

Paul previously said of his time in the band: "When I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them.

"We were all nobodies all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience."

After his time in Iron Maiden, Paul sang for groups More and Wildfire, before joining glam rock band The Sweet.

Paul's death was announced by the band he joined after Iron Maiden, More – while his later band The Sweet also paid tribute. More wrote on social media: "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."

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"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.

"Mike Freeland remembers him fondly as a ‘bloody great vocalist!’ 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."

Rock band Sweet also shared a tribute on the group's official Instagram page. It read: "Paul Mario Day RIP

"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. Our first dates were in Australia, total sell-outs which boded well for the future. Europe followed suit and 3 sold out nights at the Marquee in London produced a live album, video and DVD. “Live at the Marquee” did well in various charts around the world and Paul’s vocal performance has stood the test of time.

"PMD was the original singer with Iron Maiden and had a stint with the band More before joining Sweet.

"He passed away peacefully at his home in Australia. My deepest condolences to his wife Cecily and family and friends. A sad day for all Sweet fans. Andy x".

Paul's brief stint in Iron Maiden was documented in the band's DVD, Iron Maiden: The Early Days, in which it was revealed he was let go due to his lack of stage presence.

The vocalist even discussed his own departure from the band in 2019 as he told Blabbermouth: "Steve was saying, ‘You’ve got to get better. You’ve got to be more in the audience’s face. You’ve got to be commanding. You’ve got to be a hero.’

"And I agreed with him, but I didn’t actually know how to make that happen. I got 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."

He continued: "The real reality. Iron Maiden at that time were nothing, honestly. It was the beginning… Everyone had to start from zero. That was when I was in the band, that was their zero point.

"What Steve was doing was trying to make the band big. He knew what he wanted. What he wanted is what he got. He got one of the biggest bands on the planet. 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."

Paul claimed he had co-written Iron Maiden's track, Strange World, which was on their self-titled 1980 debut album, but wasn't properly credited. He previously said: "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."

However, in 2019 he later revealed the fallout over the writing credits was "finished with" as he said: "everything’s fine as far as that’s concerned."

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