Watch: IRON MAIDEN Pays Tribute To PAUL DI'ANNO During Minnesota Concert

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN paid tribute to their former singer Paul Di'Anno during their concert Tuesday night (October 22) at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Prior to launching into the track "The Time Machine", current MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson addressed the crowd, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): So, this next track is actually called 'The Time Machine'. And I was watching 'Back To The Future' last night on TV and it's true. It is 1.21 gigawatts of power that you need to put a DeLorean through the portal of time itself. I normally tell a story about that [and] we have a bit of fun. But tonight is — I don't wanna put a downer on the proceedings at all, because our friend, our bandmember Paul Di'Anno passed away, as you are probably aware. And if you're not aware of that fact, you are now."

He continued: "Paul was instrumental in the first two [MAIDEN] albums, groundbreaking with 'Killers' and the first album. An amazing voice, devoted to rock and roll right up till the last minute of his life. So… for those of you who were born and still remember those early albums, when obviously I wasn't in the band and he was, and those of you who were fans of the stuff he did with BATTLEZONE and his own projects afterwards, and for anybody else that fancies having a listen to tracks like 'Remember Tomorrow' and stuff like that, which are absolutely awesome, I'm just gonna ask everybody to just take like a few seconds to just close your eyes in silence and say, just internally, mentally — if you believe in God, if you don't believe in God, it actually doesn't matter; just believe in what you believe in and just say, 'Thanks, boss, for doing what you did.'"

After pausing for a few seconds, Dickinson added: "So, Paul, if you're listening, this is a little message from Minneapolis to wherever you are, upstairs or downstairs, Minneapolis, for Paul Di'Anno, scream for me."

Di'Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, passed away at his home in Salisbury.

Born in Chingford, East London on May 17, 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of IRON MAIDEN between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album "Iron Maiden" and the influential follow-up release, "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN, Paul Di'Anno had a long and eventful recording career with BATTLEZONE and KILLERS as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.

Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.

His first career retrospective album, "The Book Of The Beast", was released in September 2024 and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving IRON MAIDEN.

The day that Di'Anno's death was announced, IRON MAIDEN released a statement in which the band said: "We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di'Anno earlier today. Paul's contribution to IRON MAIDEN was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades. His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world. We were very grateful to have had the chance to catch up a couple of years ago and to spend time with him once more.

"On behalf of the band, [managers] Rod [Smallwood] and Andy [Taylor], and the whole IRON MAIDEN team, we extend our deepest sympathies to Paul's family and close friends. Rest in peace, Paul."

MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris added: "It's just so sad he's gone. I was in touch with him only recently as we texted each other about West Ham and their ups and downs. At least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace, mate."