Former IRON MAIDEN Singer PAUL DI'ANNO Is Battling Cancer, Says BLAZE BAYLEY

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno is battling cancer but is "doing okay" and "is responding to treatment," it has been revealed.

Back in May, it was announced that Di'Anno was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, forcing him to cancel his previously announced June 2016 tour of Brazil. His ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ bandmates stated at the time that Paul had "a shadow on his chest and lungs and a problem with his lymph nodes." They added that he had "a total arthritic breakdown with his legs." No further details were given, although Di'Anno himself posted a message on his Facebook page on July 1 in which he said that he had just been discharged from the Pitton Ward at Salisbury District Hospital, located in the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. He added in another posting three days later that he would not be appearing at the Rock In Palma festival in Spain this August because he was advised by his doctors to "take it a bit easy since coming out of hospital."

Now in a brand new interview with Sebastián Zumelzu of Chile's HumoNegro web site conducted over the phone last Friday (July 1),Di'Anno's friend and fellow ex-IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley has revealed more details about Di'Anno's health issues.

Asked when fans could expect to see Bayley and Di'Anno touring South America together, as the two singers had done in other parts of the world, Blaze responded (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET from original English-language audio, as kindly provided by HumoNegro): "Paul's in the hospital right now. He's got cancer, and also he's got problems with his knees and his hip. So he's gonna be in the hospital for another four months. He's doing okay and he's responding to treatment."

He continued: "We've played together many shows around the world — in Russia, Sweden and Australia — and the only places, really, that we haven't done are South America. So when he gets better — maybe in a year or so — maybe we'll be able to do a tour like that."

Bayley's description of Di'Anno's condition appears to contradict what Paul said over a month ago to a Canadian web site. On May 31, Di'Anno was asked by The Metal Voice's Jimmy Kay in a text conversation if doctors detected signs of cancer in the singer's system. Di'Anno responded at the time (see screenshot below): "Non malignant thank god !"

Paul has not yet released a follow-up statement clarifying his current health status.

Di'Anno has reportedly had several motorcycle accidents over the years, requiring a knee replacement operation on both knees. As a result, Di'Anno was forced to sit down while performing at his recent shows. He told Argentina's CM TV last August: "I think the fans don't give a shit to see me; they just wanna hear me sing. So maybe six months I have to do this before the [knee] operation. I still wanna play, so I sit down and sing."

More than a year ago, Di'Anno spoke in more detail about the condition of his knee which was making it impossible for him to stand up and perform. He said: "I don't wanna swear… [Laughs] but it's fucked. It's actually fucked. Because this has been [going on for] seven years. I should have done this seven years ago. And now all the ligament is gone and all it basically is is bone rubbing against bone. And, oh my God, it's so painful some days, it's unbelievable. And through my mother, I caught osteoporosis [a progressive bone disease in which the bone density reduces over years] as well. When you get to a certain age. And [I can't be] buggered with that. [I'm like], sod this; I can't be dealing with it. So [fixing] the knee will make it a lot better."

Di'Anno added: "I can't take it anymore. And it will be so nice to be pain-free [after] seven years."

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ, the new band featuring Di'Anno alongside members of Paul's longtime German touring backing group THE PHANTOMZ, released its debut album, "The League Of Shadows", in North America in July 2015 via Metalville Records.