Original Iron Maiden singer Paul Mario Day has died

Paul Mario Day, the original singer of Iron Maiden, has died.

His death was announced by his post-Maiden band More on social media yesterday (July 29). Day was aged 69 at the time of his death. A cause of death has yet to be announced.

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.”

“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.”

See More’s full post below.

Paul Mario Day was enlisted by bassist Steve Harris when the latter formed Iron Maiden in 1975. Day served as the band’s first singer, and was with the band between 1975 and 1976 before being replaced by Dennis Wilcock. Wilcock was later replaced by Paul Di’Anno, who went on to perform on the band’s iconic first two records. Di’Anno died in October 2024 at the age of 66.

Day was released from the band in 1976, and in a DVD chronicling the band’s formation, Iron Maiden: The Early Days, it was revealed that he was let go due to a lack of stage presence.

Speaking to Blabbermouth in 2019, Day said of his exit: “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.”

While Paul Mario Day never reunited with Iron Maiden onstage, four-fifths of the original 1975 line-up got together in December 2018 around the Christmas holidays.

Following his stint in Iron Maiden, Day sang with More, who became known for their 1981 album ‘Warhead’. They would also perform at the 1981 Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington alongside AC/DC, Def Leppard, Whitestnake and more.

Between 1983 and 1984, he briefly fronted the band Wildfire. In 1985, Day joined a newly reformed iteration of classic glam rock outfit Sweet. Sweet guitarist Andy Scott has paid tribute to Day, writing on Facebook: “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.”

This is a developing story…