Paul Mario Day, the English vocalist best known for his role as the original singer of metal icons IRON MAIDEN, has passed away at the age of 69.
Day’s tenure with the early Iron Maiden lineup was short-lived, having been recruited by bassist Steve Harris to join the band in late 1975. The band’s initial lineup lasted only for ten months, with Day exiting the group following claims he lacked both energy and charisma.
The British-born musician, who later formed a band called MORE and was the frontman of WILDFIRE and SWEET, had reportedly been battling cancer for the last few years.
Day’s passing was confirmed by SWEET guitarist Andy Scott, who wrote in a social media post yesterdasy (Tuesday, July 29): “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”.
