Iron Maiden Alum Paul Di’Anno’s Cause of Death Revealed After Musician Died at 66

Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno’s cause of death has been revealed.

On Oct. 21, Di’Anno’s longtime label Conquest Music confirmed the news of his death at 66 in a statement shared on social media that revealed he had been dealing with “several health issues” in recent years.

An official statement shared to Di’Anno’s Facebook page on Monday, Nov. 11 with permission from the late rocker’s family revealed that his cause of death was caused by a “tear in the sac around the heart.”

“Dear fans and friends,” the statement began. “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.”

It continued, “His sisters Cheryl and Michelle confirmed the following: ‘Basically he 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.”

Accompanying the post was a photo of Di’Anno’s friends and family who gathered recently to remember him.

“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.

On Monday, Oct. 21, Di’Anno’s death was announced with a statement from his label Conquest Music that read: “On behalf of his family, Conquest Music are sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, professionally known as Paul Di’Anno. Paul passed away at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.”

It continued: “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.”

Iron Maiden also paid tribute to Di’Anno on social media alongside a photo of him with bassist Steve Harris.

“We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di’Anno earlier today,” the band said in a statement. “Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling 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.”

Di’Anno provided lead vocals for Iron Maiden’s first two albums, 1980’s Iron Maiden and 1981’s Killers. After battling drug addiction, Di’Anno ended his run with the band in 1981 and was replaced by Bruce Dickinson. However, he was the frontman for other groups including Gogmagog, Battlezone and his self-titled band, Di’Anno.