A documentary about late ex-Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno is slated to come out next year.
Wes Orshoski – co-director of 2010’s Lemmy, about the titular Motörhead mainman – announced the project via Instagram on Monday (October 21). He hoped for the film to document Di’Anno’s fight through the health problems he endured in his later years, and expresses his desire for it to get screened at festivals next spring.
Orshoski writes in part: “As many know, I’ve been working on a documentary about Paul for the past several years, as he has been fighting to get back on his feet – literally, emotionally and professionally. It’s obviously quite sad that it has ended this way.”
He adds: “I’m very thankful for the experiences and opportunities I had with Paul, and because of Paul. And I learned a lot from him.
“The film will be out next year, and details will be forthcoming – the hope is for it to debut at film festivals in early 2025. I’m very excited for the Maiden faithful to see it. Once it is released you will see just how tough his life has been over the past decade and how hard he fought to change it. Maybe he’s finally found some peace.”
Di’Anno’s passing at the age of 66 was announced by his record label, Conquest Music, on Monday. The singer died in his Salisbury home, with the cause of death currently undisclosed. Health issues in his later years had left him confined to a wheelchair, but he continued performing live up until his death.
Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris paid tribute to his former bandmate, saying, “It’s just so sad he’s gone.”
Di’Anno sang for Iron Maiden from 1978 to ’81 and appeared on their first two studio albums: Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981). He was dismissed from the band due to his substance use, which was perceived as affecting his onstage performances, and replaced by Bruce Dickinson.
After his Maiden exit, Di’Anno sang for Gogmagog, Battlezone and others, and pursued a solo career. His last studio album released in his lifetime, the self-titled debut of Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse, came out in July.
The singer spoke about the upcoming documentary about him in August, telling KNAC (via Blabbermouth): “We’ve had this in the pipeline for a couple of years now… [It’s about] everything. But you’ll see the determination sometimes and the despair. And it goes through the whole lot of emotions and stuff. It’s a bit strange.”
