Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno has been diagnosed with cancer, according to fellow ex-vocalist Blaze Bayley. The news comes after Di'Anno was recently forced to cancel a June South American tour due to health problems.
Bayley, who sang with Maiden from 1994 to 1999, spoke of his friend's health in a recent interview with Chile's HumoNegro publication, Blabbermouth reports, noting that Di'Anno has cancer but is apparently doing positively with treatments.
UPDATE (7/7, 11:20 a.m. EDT): Paul Di'Anno has come out to deny the cancer allegations, telling Team Rock that a "rugby ball-sized abscess" on his lungs turned out not to be cancer. As such, he is recovering from an operation to remove the non-malignant abscess. He says he will be in care for up to eight weeks and that he may have to wait six months for a knee replacement operation.
"Paul's in the hospital right now," Bayley said, according to Blabbermouth's translation. "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."
Though Bayley didn't explain the severity of the cancer diagnosis, he hopes that he and Di'Anno can tour South America some time once he gets better, "maybe in a year or so."
Di'Anno's health has been in the spotlight in recent years. Owing to multiple motorcycle accidents that have greatly affected his knees, Di'Anno's last round of shows with backup band Architects of Chaoz had found him performing while seated in a wheelchair.
A message from the band this past May noted that the singer had been hospitalized and would remain so for some time.
"Paul has got a shadow on his chest and lungs and a problem with his lymph nodes," the band explained over Facebook, adding that the frontman also had a "total arthritic break down with his legs."
When rumours of Di'Anno's cancer first began to float, a text from the singer sent to the Metal Voice suggested a non-malignant tumour had been found.
Di'Anno's Architects of Chaoz released debut album The League of Shadows in 2015.
The singer had fronted Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981, recording on the act's self-titled debut from 1980 and the following year's Killers.
Bayley, who sang with Maiden from 1994 to 1999, spoke of his friend's health in a recent interview with Chile's HumoNegro publication, Blabbermouth reports, noting that Di'Anno has cancer but is apparently doing positively with treatments.
UPDATE (7/7, 11:20 a.m. EDT): Paul Di'Anno has come out to deny the cancer allegations, telling Team Rock that a "rugby ball-sized abscess" on his lungs turned out not to be cancer. As such, he is recovering from an operation to remove the non-malignant abscess. He says he will be in care for up to eight weeks and that he may have to wait six months for a knee replacement operation.
"Paul's in the hospital right now," Bayley said, according to Blabbermouth's translation. "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."
Though Bayley didn't explain the severity of the cancer diagnosis, he hopes that he and Di'Anno can tour South America some time once he gets better, "maybe in a year or so."
Di'Anno's health has been in the spotlight in recent years. Owing to multiple motorcycle accidents that have greatly affected his knees, Di'Anno's last round of shows with backup band Architects of Chaoz had found him performing while seated in a wheelchair.
A message from the band this past May noted that the singer had been hospitalized and would remain so for some time.
"Paul has got a shadow on his chest and lungs and a problem with his lymph nodes," the band explained over Facebook, adding that the frontman also had a "total arthritic break down with his legs."
When rumours of Di'Anno's cancer first began to float, a text from the singer sent to the Metal Voice suggested a non-malignant tumour had been found.
Di'Anno's Architects of Chaoz released debut album The League of Shadows in 2015.
The singer had fronted Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981, recording on the act's self-titled debut from 1980 and the following year's Killers.