Paul Mario Day, who is best known as the original vocalist of legendary rock group Iron Maiden, passed away on Wednesday following a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old.
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In a statement, Day’s former Sweet bandmate, Andy Scott, confirmed the news.
“Paul Mario Day RIP,” Scott wrote. He then reflected on his first meeting with Day to create the first new lineup for SWEET after the original band’s hiatus.
“We needed a singer, and when Paul arrived for the audition, we looked no further,” Scott explained, per Blabbermouth. “Our first dates were in Australia, total sell-outs which boded well for the future. Europe followed suit and 3 sold 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.”
Scott shared that Day passed away at his home in Australia. He is survived by his wife, Cecily.
Before going to Sweet, Paul Mario Day served as the original Iron Maiden vocalist for less than a year. He went on to form the band More with fellow short-lived Iron Maiden bandmate Paul Todd and Def Leppard drummer Frank Noone.
Day was the lead singer from 1983 to 1984, before joining Sweet in 1985. He left that group in 1988.
Paul Mario Day Opened up About the Day He Was Fired From Iron Maiden
In 2019, Paul Mario Day recalled the events leading up to his firing from Iron Maiden, after serving as the group’s lead vocalist for only 10 months.
Day was recruited by Maiden bassist Steve Harris in 1975. The group gave its first live performance in Poplar, London, on May 1, 1976. However, Day left the group after he was accused of lacking energy and charisma.
“Steve was saying, ‘you’ve got to get better,'” Day recalled, per The Guardian. He then said that Harris told him to be more in the audience’s faces and more demanding. “And I agreed with him, but I didn’t actually know how to make that happen.”
Day said he was warned for three months, with the bandmates telling him to get it together. “And I wanted to, I didn’t know how to do it. So the funny thing is, the worst experience was the best lesson because when I got that notice, I felt so gutted, it changed me.”
“Iron Maiden at the time were nothing, honestly,” he further shared. “What Steve was doing was trying to make the band big. He knew what he wanted. What he wanted is what he got. He got one of the biggest bands on the planet. “
Day then added, “As much as it hurts, as much as it upset me, I learned a big lesson that day. I really did. I used that emotion, I guess, in my singing.”