The cause of death for former Iron Maiden lead vocalist Paul Di’Anno has been revealed.
The singer, born Paul Andrews but known by his stage name Paul Di’Anno, passed away at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England on Oct. 21 at age 66.
On Monday, a statement posted to the late rock star’s Facebook page shared that his death was caused by a “tear in the sac around the heart.”
“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,” the statement began.
“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.”
The statement continued, “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.”
A photo of family and friends gathering to remember Di’Anno was included in the Facebook post.
Di’Anno’s record label, Conquest Music, announced his death on Oct. 21, noting that the vocalist had suffered from “severe health issues” before passing away that left him restricted in a wheelchair.
“On behalf of his family, Conquest Music are sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, professionally known as Paul Di’Anno,” the company shared. “Paul passed away at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.”
The statement added, “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’s lead vocalist from 1978 to 1981, Di’Anno worked on two albums with the band, 1980’s “Iron Maiden” and 1981’s “Killers.” He was replaced by Iron Maiden’s current vocalist, Bruce Dickinson.
Dickinson led Iron Maiden in paying tribute to Di’Anno while performing one day after news of their former bandmate’s death broke.
“Paul was instrumental in the first two albums,” Dickinson, 66, told a crowd. “An amazing voice, devoted to rock ’n’ roll right up till the last minute of his life.”
Years after leaving the band, Di’Anno revealed he stepped aside because of his addiction to cocaine.
“It wasn’t just that I was snorting a bit of coke; I was just going for it non-stop 24 hours a day every day,” Di’Anno once said, according to Daily Mail. “The band had commitments piling up and I just couldn’t see my way to the end of it.”
Di’Anno passed away one week after Iron Maiden — now made up of Di’Anno’s former bandmates Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain, Janick Gers and Dickinson — announced a 50th anniversary tour.
