Iron Maiden paid tribute to their original lead singer, Paul Mario Day, who died Tuesday at the age of 69.
“We are deeply saddened that Paul Mario Day, Iron Maiden’s first ever vocalist back in 1975, has passed away,” the band wrote in a statement on social media. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to Paul’s family and friends.
“Paul was a lovely person and good mate,” Iron Maiden continued. “Rest in peace, Paul.”
Day joined Iron Maiden in December 1975 at the age of 19. His tenure lasted less than a year, as the band dismissed him in October 1976 and replaced him with Dennis Wilcock.
In a 2019 interview with the Danish webzine Power of Metal, Day recalled his early days with the band: “I never really was in a band, I just worked with guitar players in bedrooms, just sort of learning, experimenting, because I wasn’t really a singer. I just felt I could sing… They liked me and straight away, I was singing some of Steve [Harris]’s songs… I seemed to fit and then we started rehearsing.”
Iron Maiden ultimately dismissed Day due to his reported lack of stage presence. “Steve was saying, ‘You’ve got to get better. You’ve got to be more in the audience’s face. You’ve got to be commanding. You’ve got to be a hero.’ And I agreed with him, but I didn’t actually know how to make that happen,” Day recalled.
After his time with Iron Maiden, Day formed the new wave of British heavy metal band More, singing on their 1981 debut album “Warhead.” He fronted the band Wildfire from 1983 to 1984 and joined Andy Scott and Mick Tucker’s reformed Sweet in 1985, performing on their 1986 album “Live at the Marquee.”