Iron Maiden Alum Paul Di’Anno Cause of Death Revealed

New details are emerging about what led to the death of Paul Di’Anno last month. On Monday, the musician’s Facebook page revealed that the former Iron Maiden vocalist died from a “tear in the sac around the heart” that made his heart stop. He was 66.

“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,” read the post.

“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,’” the statement read. “Paul’s death was instantaneous and hopefully painless. May he rest in peace.”

Over the weekend, his friends and family hosted an In Memoriam show in his honor at Underworld Camden in London. “With a magnificent musical set, his musical colleagues said a worthy farewell to their friend,” the post added.

In October, Di’Anno’s death was confirmed in a note shared on his Facebook page by the metal label, Conquest Music, on behalf of the Di’Anno’s family. It said Di’Anno — whose real name was Paul Andrews — died at his home in Salisbury, England. 

At the time of his death, the statement mentioned that Di’Anno had been “troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair.” Even still, he continued to play shows around the world, “racking up well over 100 shows since 2023″ (despite announcing a retirement of sorts in 2020).

Di’Anno joined Iron Maiden in 1978, at a point when the still-fledgling group had been performing for several years but had yet to settle on a sturdy lineup. Di’Anno sang on Iron Maiden’s first several releases, including their 1979 EP, The Roundhouse Tapes, and their 1980 self-titled debut, which put them at the forefront of a new era of British heavy metal.