EXCLUSIVE -Forgotten man of Iron Maiden: How band's tragic singer Paul Di'Anno died penniless and alone in social housing flat after being axed over his love of drugs and wild partying with royalties of just £50,000... while his ex-bandmates are all multimillionaires

Former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di’Anno died penniless and alone in a modest social housing flat after suffering a string of health problems, MailOnline can reveal.

The wheelchair-bound 66-year-old hellraiser was seen as the forgotten man of the band after he was sacked when he was 23, despite having played a huge part in two smash hit albums selling more than nine million copies.

Unable to mix his weakness for drugs and partying with the rigours of life on the road, Di’Anno, who real name was Paul Andrews, was axed - and then signed away his royalty rights for just £50,000. As carers found the former hellraiser unresponsive in his ground floor flat last week, Di’Anno's former bandmates played to a packed arena in St Paul, Minnesota.

The contrast could not have been more stark, but during the US show, Bruce Dickinson, who replaced Di’Anno as frontman more than 40 years ago and is estimated to be worth £100 million, led the 20,000 fans in a moment’s silence, describing him as ‘Devoted to rock ‘n’ roll right up ‘til the last minute of his life.’

(This is the modest social housing flat where former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di'Anno died following a series of heath problems. Carers for the hellraiser found his body this week)

(Di'Anno - whose real name was Paul Andrew (pictured performing in 1981) - was kicked out of Iron Maiden soon after they hit the big time and signed away his rights to the royalties for £50k)

(Bruce Dickinson, who replaced Di¿Anno as frontman more than 40 years ago, led a minute's silencefor 20,000 fans)

He ended with a final farewell: ‘So, Paul, if you’

‘Minneapolis, for Paul Di’Anno, scream for me!,’ he roared and the crowd did just that.

More than 4,000 miles away in Salisbury, Wilts, the news of Di’Anno’s death was received more quietly, but still spread a ripple of sadness around the small housing block where he had lived for the last seven years.

He was found dead in his ground-floor flat by two carers, according to neighbours, one of whom he’d told: ‘I used to be rich and famous, but it was years ago.’

Ref: EXCLUSIVE -Forgotten man of Iron Maiden: How band's tragic singer Paul Di'Anno died penniless and alone in social housing flat after being axed over his love of drugs and wild partying with royalties of just £50,000... while his ex-bandmates are all multimillionaires (dailymail) Photo Credit-dailymail