Former Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley is currently hospitalized after suffering a heart attack last weekend, and now we have an update about his health.
A post on Instagram by Mark and Christopher Appleton, who manage and handle bookings for Bayley, reports that he's in "excellent spirits," noting he "has certainly not lost his strength & sense of humour." He will, however, be undergoing triple — and possibly quadruple — heart bypass surgery, with the pair sharing, "This is obviously not a small matter & we should expect that his recovery period will be many months."
The surgery will force his tour to be postponed, but they add, “Blaze is looking ahead with optimism for a full recovery with good health & fitness."
They ask that fans who want to support Blaze purchase merch from his web store, noting that as "a completely independent artist," postponing the tour is "a particularly big blow" for him. "Your support in that way would be very much appreciated by Blaze & ourselves as the management team," they write.
Bayley joined Iron Maiden in 1994, and appeared on the albums The X Factor and Virtual XI. His tenure with the group came to an end in 1999, after which longtime vocalist Bruce Dickinson rejoined the band. Dickinson has remained Maiden's singer ever since.