PAUL DI'ANNO Doesn't Blame IRON MAIDEN For Firing Him

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno says that he doesn't blame the band for firing him.

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

Speaking to Metal Hammer magazine, Di'Anno said: "I don't blame them for getting rid of me. Obviously, the band was Steve's [Harris, bassist] baby, but I wish I'd been able to contribute more. After a while, that got me down. In the end, I couldn't give 100 percent to MAIDEN anymore and it wasn't fair to the band, the fans or to myself."

Di'Anno said that he looks back very fondly on IRON MAIDEN's early albums.

"The two albums I made with the band were pivotal [to the metal genre]," he said. "Later on in my life, when I met METALLICA, PANTERA and SEPULTURA and they told me that those albums were what got them into music, it made me incredibly proud."

Paul recently announced that he will play his last-ever live show later this year at the U.K.'s Beermageddon festival.

Di'Anno has battled a number of health issues in recent years. He reportedly underwent an operation in 2016 to remove a "rugby ball-sized abscess" on his lungs and required a knee-replacement operation on both knees after getting involved in several motorcycle accidents over the years. As a result, Di'Anno was forced to sit down while performing at his most recent shows.

In March 2011, Di'Anno was sentenced to nine months in a U.K. prison after he falsely collected government benefits by claiming he suffered nerve damage to his back that prevented him from working.

Di'Anno completed his first North American tour in early 2010, 17 years after he was deported following a prison term for guns and drug offenses.