Paul DiAnno, the The singer who sang with Iron Maiden on their first releases has passed away. He was 66.

Di’Anno’s death was confirmed in a note shared on his Facebook page by the metal label Conquest Music, on behalf of the Di’Anno family. It said Di’Anno – whose real name was Paul Andrews – died at his home in Salisbury, England.

“Conquest Music is proud to have Paul Di’Anno in our artist family and asks his legion of fans to raise a glass in his memory,” the label said.

No cause of death was provided, although the statement did note that Di’Anno “had suffered from serious health problems in recent years, limiting him to performing in a wheelchair.” Still, he continued to play shows around the world, “with well over 100 shows since 2023” (despite announcing a retirement of sorts in 2020).

Di’Anno joined Iron Maiden in 1978, at a time when the young group had been performing for a number of years, but had not yet settled on a solid line-up. Di’Anno’s gruff voice turned out to be a perfect fit for the vibrant songs that bassist Steve Harris was writing at the time.

Di’Anno sang on Iron Maiden’s first release, including their 1979 EP, The Roundhouse Tapesand their 1980 self-titled debut, which saw them spearhead a new era of British heavy metal. Di’Anno not only provided the vocals, but also contributed lyrics to several songs, including the successful singles ‘Running Free’ and ‘Sanctuary’.

A few Iron Maiden live recordings with Di’Anno were pressed onto the 1980 EP, Live!! +one. Di’Anno also sang on Iron Maiden’s 1981 second album, Murderers. But soon after, Di’Anno was kicked out of the band, reportedly because of his drug use and partying. (He was replaced by Iron Maiden’s eventual lead singer, Bruce Dickinson.)

Speak with Metal hammer in 2022, DiAnno said he did not blame Iron Maiden for the firing, but added, “I wish I could have contributed more.” After a while it made me depressed. Ultimately, I couldn’t give 100 percent to Maiden anymore and it wasn’t fair to the band, the fans or myself.”

Speaking about his contributions to the Maiden discography, and to heavy metal in general, Di’Anno said: “The two albums I made with the band were crucial. When I met Metallica, Pantera and Sepultura later in life and they told me that those albums got them into music, it made me incredibly proud.

Di’Anno stuck with music after leaving Iron Maiden. He has played in a variety of bands over the years, including Battlezone, Killers, Gogmagog, and has also released numerous solo releases. In the 1990s, he briefly joined the group Praying Mantis to record a live album with former Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton.

Last month, Di’Anno released a retrospective album, The Book of the Beastwhich collects a variety of post-Iron Maiden material. It also includes two new versions of Iron Maiden classics, “Wrathchild” and “Remember Tomorrow,” turned into duets with ZP Theart and Tony Martin, respectively.