Paul Mario Day, original singer of iconic band Iron Maiden, dies age 69 and remembered as a 'great vocalist'
The singer of a legendary heavy metal band has died at the age of 69.
Paul Mario Day, the original singer of Iron Maiden, died earlier this month. His cause of death has not been announced.
His death was announced by the band he created after leaving Iron Maiden, More, on social media yesterday (Tuesday July 29).
"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great More vocalist Paul Mario Day," More wrote in a Facebook statement, which you can see below. "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/DC, Whitesnake/David Coverdale, as well as tours with Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and many other legendary artists."
The band continued: "Mike Freeland [current More lead singer] remembers him fondly as a 'b****y 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. Play his music loud and sing along! Thank you."
Fans left tributes of their own on the post. One said: “I saw Paul with More at Ayr Pavillion in April 1981 then a Donington a few months later. I also saw him with Sweet in Nov 1985. Great vocalist. Sadly missed.”
A second wrote: “Just finished a play along session with the first album to honor Andy, Kenny and Paul. R.I.P. all of them. Some classic tunes these guys made. Now to bed trying to forget.” Others simply commented with the sad face emoji.
Iron Maiden first formed in 1975 and remain one of the genre’s stand-out bands today. Paul became the first singer the now iconic band, joining the band in December 1975 when he was 19 years old. He was replaced by Dennis Wilcock, however, in October 1976.
Paul formed More in 1980, and the band released its debut album, Warhead, in 1981. He left the band before the release of their second and final album, 1982's Blood & Thunder, however. After More, the singer briefly fronted the band Wildfire from 1983 to 1984, and in 1985 he joined a reformed version of Sweet.
Reflecting on his brief stint with Iron Maiden in 2019, Day told the Danish webzine Power of Metal: "I never really was in a band, I just worked with guitar players in bedrooms, just sort of learning, experimenting, because I wasn't really a singer. I just felt I could sing."
Paul was asked to leave the band due to his apparent lack of stage presence. He told the publication: "Steve (referring to bassist Steve Harris) 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.”
He then reflected that his experience may have helped him, although it was hard to accept at the time. “ "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,” he said.
“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. 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.”