In a new interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice, former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley spoke about the passing of another ex-MAIDEN vocalist, Paul Di’Anno, who died last October at the age of 66. Asked how he initially reacted to the news of Paul‘s death, Blaze said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, he wasn’t in good health the last time I saw him, and he’d been stuck in a wheelchair for a while. But we did a lot together. We went to a lot of places together. Before all the problems with Ukraine, we did a tour of Russia. We played Sweden Rock [Festival] together. We went to Australia and New Zealand together. And we did a a lot together.
“I wouldn’t say that I didn’t expect it, but I was absolutely gutted when [I got] the news that Paul had gone,” Blaze admitted. “I didn’t think he would go then. It just didn’t feel right. Of course, it was too soon. He shouldn’t have gone at all. But it was a lot. And you think we did so much together. And his voice, man. There were some nights on tour when we were together — we had some good bands together that people put together for us — and you close your eyes and you listen to him singing those early MAIDEN songs, and you go, ‘He sounds better than he ever did on the record.’ It was incredible. If you were lucky, there was a couple of times that he had a good rest and a good sleep and he hadn’t been too stressed and he just sounded incredible. And he’s a legend. That is the voice that began, that first record. You can never take that away. Those first two albums, they’re the Di’Anno records. And that’s a band that doesn’t care about the rules, that’s doing their own thing, that’s making music that they think is the best that they can do. And they really don’t care too much about what people are saying, ‘Oh, the chorus should be here,’ or, ‘The guitar solo should…’ They didn’t care at all — absolutely didn’t care. There’s no click track, there’s no nothing. Everything they did in the studio is all about vibe and the timing, and you can hear what Paul does. It just feels like, wow, he’s there pissed off and expressive. And that’s in his voice. You can hear it… That’s his energy. And his energy was there. His solo albums that he did, he did some fantastic work as well. He’s done some great recordings. So it’s tragic, that he’s gone.”
Blaze added: “So what I’ve been doing in my setlist [at my solo shows] is a small tribute, and it’s fun for me. I do [MAIDEN‘s classic song] ‘Wrathchild’ in my set. And it’s for Paul — it makes me think of Paul. And so it’s for Paul, it makes me think of Paul. It’s an excuse to do a song I like as well. And it’s, yeah, let’s remember Paul. Just for four minutes, think of Paul. And that song comes to life. It’s a great song. It breaks the rules, the way the arrangement is and everything. So all of that, it fits right in with my mentality.”
Bayley went on to call Di’Anno‘s passing “a sad loss” and he expressed his regret that he, Paul and current IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson never got a chance to perform together. “I always hoped that it would be Paul, Bruce and me somewhere on stage together,” he said. “One gig. It would be so fantastic for the fans. And that dream died with Paul, which is a great shame. Because I thought it was unlikely, but I didn’t think it was impossible. Now it is impossible, which is sad.”
When Paul‘s passing was first announced, Bayley took to his social media to write: “Very sad to hear of the death of my friend Paul Di’Anno.
“Paul & I did quite a few tours & concerts together over the years… Sweden Rock, Ukraine, Australia, Scandinavia. He had a great sense of humour & those were crazy times.
“His voice & his music with IRON MAIDEN & his own projects will live on.
“Fondly remembered, sadly missed. RIP.”
Di’Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, passed away at his home in Salisbury.
Born in Chingford, East London on May 17, 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of IRON MAIDEN between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album “Iron Maiden” and the influential follow-up release, “Killers”.
Since leaving IRON MAIDEN, Paul Di’Anno had a long and eventful recording career with BATTLEZONE and KILLERS as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.
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.
His first career retrospective album, “The Book Of The Beast”, was released in September 2024 and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving IRON MAIDEN.
The day that Di’Anno‘s death was announced, IRON MAIDEN released a statement in which the band said: “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 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. We were very grateful to have had the chance to catch up a couple of years ago and to spend time with him once more.
“On behalf of the band, [managers] Rod [Smallwood] and Andy [Taylor], and the whole IRON MAIDEN team, we extend our deepest sympathies to Paul‘s family and close friends. Rest in peace, Paul.”
MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris added: “It’s just so sad he’s gone. I was in touch with him only recently as we texted each other about West Ham and their ups and downs. At least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace, mate.”
The 62-year-old Bayley fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 until 1999. The two MAIDEN albums he appeared on, “The X Factor” and “Virtual XI”, sold considerably less than the band’s prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group’s home country since 1981’s “Killers”.
Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012’s “Wolfsbane Saves The World”, the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group’s self-titled 1994 effort, and a follow-up LP, 2022’s “Genius”.
Blaze‘s latest studio album, “Circle Of Stone”, came out in February 2024.
In March 2023, Blaze underwent a quadruple bypass surgery following a heart attack. He later shared details of the massive outpouring of well-wishes he received, including messages from his former MAIDEN bandmates.
