Iron Maiden Singer Blaze Bayley Suffers Heart Attack, to Undergo Bypass Surgery

By Daniel S. Levine

Former Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley suffered a heart attack in late March and will need triple heart bypass surgery. Bayley, 59, was forced to postpone his spring tour of France and Belgium after his medical emergency. The heavy metal singer also has shows planned for June through November, which are still scheduled at this moment.

Bayley's team announced he had a heart attack on March 25. "He is in good spirits in the circumstances but utterly disappointed to have to postpone our imminent shows due in March [and] April," his representatives shared on Instagram. As for the shows later this year, they have to "wait a short while to see how quick Blaze's recovery will be, so please stay tuned [and] meanwhile most importantly we're sure you will join us in wishing him a complete [and] speedy recovery."

In a March 29 update, Bayley's team assured fans he was in "excellent spirits" at the hospital and was sitting up in bed. His doctors said he needs to remain in the hospital for "a triple (possibly quadruple) heart bypass," his team wrote. "This is obviously not a small matter [and] we should expect that his recovery period will be many months," the statement continued. "We will announce the impact on the tour diary once we've discussed [it] with the relevant venues [and] promoters."

Bayley is "looking ahead with optimism for a full recovery with good health [and] fitness, [and] the full benefit of the surgery & treatment," his team wrote. They also thanked his fans for their ongoing support. Since Bayley is likely to lose out on income because he won't be performing for months, his team asked fans to visit the singer's merch shop. His management team vowed to continue providing fans with updates.

Bayley served as Iron Maiden's lead singer from 1994 to 1999, while Bruce Dickinson was pursuing a solo career. They released two albums, The X Factor (1995) and Virtual XI (1998), during Bayley's tenure. After Dickinson returned, Bayley left to form his own band, Blaze. He performs as a solo artist today, with his most recent album being War Within Me (2021). He is also a member of Wolfsbane.

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In a recent interview with Metal Planet Music, Bayley said he continues to play songs from his two albums with Iron Maiden live, even though those albums didn't sell well. It's the only way for fans of those albums to hear those songs performed because Iron Maiden rarely does.

"What's nice is that when I do my anniversary setlist, which a lot of festivals asked for, then I can play songs in my set from those two albums that Maiden have never played and will never play," Bayley said, via Blabbermouth. "And they are my songs, personal to me. So that's really, really cool. So if you did get into those albums and you like those albums, then you'll come and see me and go, 'Oh, actually, I've never heard 'Como Estais Amigos' live.' So it's a really cool thing."

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