Paul Mario Day, the original lead singer for Iron Maiden, has died at the age of 69.
He was the first person bassist Steve Harris brought on when forming the band back in 1975. That early version of the group didn’t last long, only about 10 months, and Day never ended up on any official recordings.
He left in 1976 and was replaced by Dennis Wilcock. After that, Paul Di’Anno came in as the frontman. Di’Anno died last year at 66.
Looking back on his time with Iron Maiden, Day once said: “When I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them. We were all nobodies all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience.”
After Iron Maiden, Day went on to sing with the bands More and Wildfire. He also had a run with the glam rock band The Sweet.
His death was confirmed by the band More. The Sweet also posted a tribute.
More said: “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’.”
The Sweet added: “Paul Mario Day RIP
“IN 1985 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.
“PMD was the original singer with Iron Maiden and had a stint with the band More before joining Sweet.
“He passed away peacefully at his home in Australia. My deepest condolences to his wife Cecily and family and friends. A sad day for all Sweet fans. Andy x”.
