Paul Di’Anno / ‘Bring Us A Few Tins Of Pilchards’

Following yesterday’s devastating news of the death of Paul Di’Anno, Steve Kenton, MetalTalk writer and long-time friend of Paul, has shared a personal tribute.

“Steve, can you do us a favour mate and bring us a few tins of pilchards when you come over?”

“Pilchards?”

“Yea, I’ve got a craving for a cheese and pilchard sandwich.”

“You’re on a bloody wind-up, aren’t you?”

“Nope, bring us over some pilchards, oh and some tea. I want some English tea.”

A week or so after undergoing leg surgery in Zagreb, Croatia, Paul had my wife and myself engaging in a food drop in his own inimitable way. So armed with half a dozen tins of pilchards and a boxful of Tetley’s finest, we made our way through the airport at Zagreb.

But not before arousing some slight suspicion while passing through security. After a brief discussion we went on our merry way to see Paul at the hospital. Upon entering his room, he was presented with the pilchards and the teabags. And a West Ham shirt. 

“Well, where’s me bleedin’ cheese and my bread and butter?”

This was Paul Di’Anno in all his demanding, rambunctious glory. You could not help but want to try and accommodate him. And one of the reasons why I loved him to bits.

I was devastated when I received the phone call at 10.30 am on October 21, that Paul had passed away. Sadly, it came as no surprise to me. He had been in poor health for some time, and he was struggling.

He had battled for so long, I felt that he just didn’t have any fight left in him

Paul was my friend, not because he was the singer in Iron Maiden, a band that I have idolised since childhood and not because he had anything to offer. We were friends because there was a commonality between us.

We came from the same streets in East London, we frequented the same watering holes, and we both had a love of football, music and jellied eels – we just clicked. That said, Paul could be hard work, but he was also one of the sweetest guys you could ever meet. 

Paul was much more than just the vocalist on the first two Iron Maiden albums. He produced quite a large catalogue of solo work, with his latest album, The Book Of The Beast, receiving critical acclaim.

Despite his mobility issues, which included being forced to sing from the confines of his wheelchair, his vocal ability was as strong as ever. As a singer, he influenced many who came after him and was highly respected within the music industry. 

Paul was fortunate to have good people around him, who all took it upon themselves to help look after him. Friends such as Chris Dale, Mark Inman, Stjepan Juras, Kastro Pergjoni and Cliff Evans, to name but a few, went above and beyond to ensure that Paul could continue to do what he loved doing – getting up on the stage and performing.

There are many funny tales that I could tell about Paul. However, most of them would probably be unprintable.

I, along with many others, am going to miss his stories, his cackle, his singing and his moaning. But most of all, I’m going to miss our friendship.