With fans and friends deeply saddened following the sudden passing of Paul Di’Anno, his cause of death has finally been established. Media speculation had been rife after one of the founding fathers of NWOBHM was discovered unresponsive at his home in Salisbury on 21 October 2024.
Di’Anno tour manager and friend, Stjepan Juras, has revealed that the former Iron Maiden frontman had died from heart failure.
In a statement made to fan club members, Juras said that he had received permission from Paul’s family to share the results of the autopsy.
“Basically, he had a tear in the sac around the heart,” his sisters Cheryl and Michelle confirmed, “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.”
Juras added: “Last week, 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.”
This show was for the fans. It was an evening that was wonderfully special as Heavy Metal fans descended in their numbers to sing and cheer in tribute to Paul Di’Anno.
You can read about the Paul Di’Anno Memorial show at The Underworld here.
Paul Di’Anno had continued performing despite being beset by numerous health issues which had confined him to a wheelchair for nearly a decade.
His final album, The Book Of The Beast, was released just a few weeks before his tragic death and saw him crash into the Top 40 at a creditable 28.
Following his death, Iron Maiden’s eponymous first album, which is widely regarded as one the most influential Heavy Metal albums of all time, also re-entered the charts at Number 33.
