Paul Di'Anno undergoes surgery on his leg

The former Iron Maiden vocalist undergoes leg surgery.

Paul Di'Anno, known best for his gravelly vocals and fronting Iron Maiden from 1980-1981, had to recently undergo surgery on his leg that, if he had not done that, would have lost the leg. He's been bound to a wheelchair as a result of bilateral knee surgery and having an abscess the size of a rugby ball removed from his lungs. He has a Croatian caregiver, Stjepan Juras, who has been incredibly helpful in caring for Di'Anno. He has been assisting the singer in raising money for medical treatments. He has this statement. "In short...the operation is over, the doctor is satisfied, he solved the problem. Paul's skin is now being stitched up and he will be woken up soon. If the wound heals well, the operation can be considered a success."

He's been bound to a wheelchair for seven years and has suffered from a difficult condition that could have robbed him of a leg. But, a doctor in Croatia was able to help him. Since November 2021, he has been undergoing treatment in Croatia, where he received lymphatic drainage treatment and courses of daily physiotherapy. Fans and friends alike raised the money to help him get back to normal.

When his former band, Iron Maiden, began their Legacy of the Beast tour on 5/22/22, Paul was invited backstage, where he reunited with manager Rod Smallwood and bassist Steve Harris. For those unfamiliar with Di'Anno, he had sung on Iron Maiden's first two albums, 1980's Iron Maiden and 1981's Killers. He spent the last few months in the Croatian capital city undergoing treatment involving lymphatic drainage prior to his knee surgery.

During an interview on The Metal Voice, Di'Anno recounted the meeting with Harris and Smallwood. He referred to it as "quite emotional". "It was brilliant because I met up with Steve's sister Linda first, whom I hadn't seen her in about 30 years. And then...Steve was amazing, and then Rod as well, it's made my whole year, actually. It was fantastic. It was pretty awesome. It was quite emotional. If it had been the first time we spoke together in 30 years, it would have been maybe a little bit more weird. But, as I said, we talk about football and stuff like that, and Steve phoned me up a couple of times (from his home) in the Bahamas."

Below is an update from Juras that was posted in August.

"As you know, the entire community of Iron Maidens fans rose to their feet and gave a helping hand to the legendary singer Paul Di'Anno. Iron Maiden and Phantom Music also joined this grand action. This story would not be complete without the legendary monster Eddie and his creator Derek Riggs. Derek offered his special artwork that we will print on a T-shirt, along with a special certificate. The shirt will be unique and you have never seen anything like it before. Let's remember: Eddie "killed" Paul on the Venezuelan edition of the EP Maiden Japan, and now we will raise him again and give him a chance for a new life on his own two feet. You can order the last bundles with the 2022 event t-shirt and signed Warhorse DVD single at maidencroatia.com/warhorse."

"Although there were various suggestions and ideas about what to put on the front of the shirt, Derek chose one of his never-before-used illustrations directly related to the Killers album. He called the illustration "Axes High" in order to playfully play with the theme of the illustration and the name of the famous Maiden single from 1984. We thought it would be most appropriate to follow up on Derek's idea and write a message of support, Axes High for Paul Di'Anno!"

"The back design of the t-shirt will not be revealed until September 1st, after the design is ready for publication. What is so special and unique about that design is that it has to be revealed a whole month later? For the first time in the history, the names of the fans who helped do a good deed with this purchase, will be printed on the t-shirt. It means each shirt will be personalized. We want to present it to you in more detail what it will look like. Namely, under the illustration at the top of the back, the inscription 'Axes Crossed Tour 2022' will be written, and instead of the names of the cities and dates of the imaginary tour, the names of the fans will written in the same form as tour dates, that are usually found on the bands' t-shirts. It is for this reason that we cannot show you the final design. Only a limited number of names will be able to fit on the back of each shirt, so, if you want to be part of history and have your name included, you better order quickly (you can choose not to have your name printed if you don't like to, just to let us know.)"

This is the first time that Derek has drawn Paul, since the Venezuelan edition of the single "Maiden Japan" in 1981, where Eddie decapitated him. Today, Paul is smiling, proud and thanking all the fans who helped him survive the road to recovery. Someone would normally say "fingers crossed" for a speedy recovery, but in this case, it might be more appropriate or even better to say "Axes Crossed" for successful operations and a speedy recovery. You can order a gray, white or even black version of the shirt. You can even order all three. That way, you'll help Paul 3x as much. Pre-ordering can be done at this link and the shirts will be shipped out September 2022.