Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno's cause of death has been revealed

Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno's cause of death has been revealed.

The singer, born Paul Andrews but known by his stage name Paul Di'Anno, died on October 21 at the age of 66 at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.

On Monday, the late rock star's Facebook page said his death was caused by a “tear in the sac around his heart.”

“We have received permission from Paul's family to bring you the news of Paul's cause of death after the autopsy results are available,” the statement began.

“His sisters, Cheryl and Michelle, confirmed that, 'Basically, he had a tear in the pericardium that was letting blood from the aorta into it, causing his heart to stop.' Paul's death was instantaneous and hopefully painless. May he rest in peace.”

The statement continued: “This weekend an In Memoriam show was held at Underworld Camden, attended by many of Paul's fans, friends, colleagues and family. His musical colleagues gave their friend a fitting farewell with a magnificent musical performance.”

The Facebook post included a photo of family and friends gathering in memory of Di'Anno.

Di'Anno's record label, Conquest Music, announced his death on October 21, noting that the singer had suffered from “severe health problems” before his death that left him confined to a wheelchair.

“On behalf of his family, Conquest Music regrets to announce the passing of Paul Andrews, known professionally as Paul Di'Anno,” the company said. “Paul died at his home in Salisbury aged 66.”

The statement added: “Despite suffering from serious health problems in recent years that limited him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, logging well over 100 shows as of 2023.”

Di'Anno was the lead singer of Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981 and worked on two albums with the band: 1980's Iron Maiden and 1981's Killers. He was replaced by Bruce Dickinson, Iron's current vocalist Maiden, replaced.

Dickinson led Iron Maiden in paying tribute to Di'Anno as they performed a day after news of their former bandmate's death broke.

“Paul was instrumental in the first two albums,” Dickinson, 66, told a crowd. “An amazing voice that was dedicated to rock and roll until the last minute of his life.”

Years after leaving the band, Di'Anno announced that he had resigned because of his cocaine addiction.

“It wasn’t just because I snorted a bit of cocaine; I just did it 24 hours a day nonstop,” Di’Anno once said, according to the Daily Mail. “The band commitments were piling up and I just couldn’t see myself through to the end.”

Di'Anno died a week after Iron Maiden – now consisting of Di'Anno's former bandmates Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Nicko McBrain, Janick Gers and Dickinson – announced a 50th anniversary tour.