Paul Mario Day, the original vocalist for heavy metal icons Iron Maiden, has passed away aged 69, his family has confirmed. Day, the first of four singers to front the iconic metal band, was initially invited to join Maiden in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris when he was 19, but departed after just 10 months following claims he lacked the necessary energy and charisma. “When I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them,” Day said in 2019. “We were all nobodies, trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience.” After his stint with Iron Maiden, Day fronted British heavy metal groups More and Wildfire in the 1980s, before later joining glam rock trailblazers Sweet as the lead vocalist on their comeback tour in 1985. “Paul was a huge part of the NWOBHM [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,” More said in a statement on social media. “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.” Day relocated to Australia in the late 80s and continued to perform as a musician until his passing.
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