Paul Mario Day, Iron Maiden's first singer, died

Mourning in the world of British rock: Paul Mario Day, the first singer to lend his voice to the legendary Iron Maiden, has died at the age of 69. A number of former colleagues and musicians who had shared stages and recording studios with him during the golden years of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, as reported by 'Billboard', announced his passing.

Born in England, Day was chosen by Steve Harris, founder and bassist of Iron Maiden, to join the band in 1975, when the group was still in its infancy. However, his stay was short: after about ten months he was replaced for what was then considered a lack of 'energy and charisma' on stage.

"When I sang in Iron Maiden we were just a pub band. Nobody wanted to listen to us. We were all strangers trying to make good music and gain an audience,' Day had told in an interview.

Although he never recorded official tracks with the band, Day was part of that early core that would go on to form one of the most important metal bands of all time. He later claimed to have co-written 'Strange World', a track featured on the band's debut album released in 1980, although it never received formal credit. "It still hurts to think that the first song I composed ended up on a very successful album and nobody knows that it's also thanks to me," he declared. However, he claimed in 2019 that the matter had been 'moved on' and that he no longer held a grudge.

After his experience with Iron Maiden, Day continued his career in More and Wildfire, bands that helped define the sound of British metal at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he joined Sweet, the iconic British glam rock band, led by guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker. By the 1980s he had moved to Australia, where he continued to make music until the end.