Paul Mario Day, the original vocalist of Iron Maiden, died Tuesday at the age of 69.<\/p>\n
The heavy metal singer died peacefully at his Australian home, his family revealed.<\/p>\n
Parade reports<\/a> he had been battling cancer, but no cause of death was revealed.<\/p>\n Day was 19 years old when he joined Iron Maiden in 1975 but lasted just 10 months.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I sang in Iron Maiden, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them,\u201d Day said in 2019<\/a> of his time in the group. \u201cWe were all nobodies all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience.\u201d<\/p>\n Day also fronted the groups \u201cMore and Wildfire,\u201d before joining a Sweet with guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cIn 1985 Mick Tucker and myself put together the first new line-up of Sweet after the hiatus of the original band,\u201d Scott wrote in a tribute post<\/a> shared to Facebook. \u201cWe needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition we looked no further. <\/p>\n \u201cOur 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. \u2018Live at the Marquee\u2019 did well in various charts around the world and Paul\u2019s vocal performance has stood the test of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cPaul 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,\u201d a statement from More read on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim<\/a>. He can be heard on \u201cThe Opening Kickoff\u201d on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM <\/a>in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App <\/a>from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n