The cause of death for Paul Di’Anno, the original lead vocalist for heavy metal band Iron Maiden, was revealed on Monday.
According to a statement shared on the late singer’s official Facebook page, his representatives addressed fans and friends and wrote, “We have received permission from Paul’s family to bring you the news of Paul’s cause of death, after the results of the autopsy have been received.”
Cheryl and Michelle, Di’Anno’s sisters, confirmed in the statement that their brother “had a tear in the sac around the heart and blood has filled inside it from the main aorta artery and that has caused the heart to stop.”
“Paul’s death was instantaneous and hopefully painless. May he rest in peace,” the statement read.
The post included a photo of Di’Anno’s friends and family members attending a tribute show that honored the musician.
“This weekend, an In Memoriam show was held at Underworld Camden, where many of Paul’s fans, friends, colleagues, and family members came. With a magnificent musical set, his musical colleagues said a worthy farewell to their friend,” the statement concluded.
Last month, Di’Anno’s record label, Conquest Music, confirmed the news of his death on behalf of his family in a Facebook post noting that the former frontman died at his home in Salisbury, England at age 66.
Born Paul Andrews in Chingford, East London on May 17, 1958, Di’Anno first rose to fame when he served as the lead singer of the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981. He participated in the band’s first two albums “Iron Maiden” and “Killers,” before Bruce Dickinson took over his position in 1981.
The band issued a statement honoring Di’Anno following his death, saying, “We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di’Anno earlier today. Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been traveling as a band for almost five decades.
“His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world,” the statement reads.
Following his stint with Iron Maiden, Di’Anno fronted bands Battlezone and Killers and released multiple solo albums.
In the years leading up to his death, Di’Anno suffered many health issues including a major knee surgery in 2022 and his battle with sepsis in 2015.
In an interview with The Metal Voice earlier this year, he said “I’ve been really ill the last couple of months with infection after infection after infection, ’cause I caught pneumonia last year in Mexico. I was over there doing physio after I finished a tour.”
Di’Anno said after suffering from sepsis, he had long-term issues with his immune system.
“Somebody sneezes on me, I’ll probably go down with [a severe illness],” he said earlier this year in an interview with The Metal Voice. “But that’s what you get from a sepsis. It just weakens your system.”
Di’Anno’s family statement following his death read, “Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.”