The estranged wife of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has died in a ‘tragic accident’, the family has revealed.
Paddy Bowden was found dead at their marital home in Chiswick, West London at 10am this morning.
The musician, 61, and his wife, who share three children together, parted ways in November, with their shock divorce estimated to be worth £90 million.
In a heartfelt statement today, Dickinson said: ‘This is a terrible tragedy which appears to be a tragic accident. Our children Austin, Griffin and Kia and I are devastated.
‘Out of respect for Paddy we won’t be making any further comment at this hugely difficult and painful time for our family.’
The estranged wife of Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson – Paddy Bowden – has died in a ‘tragic accident’, the family has revealed
The coupe ( pictured together in 2016) parted ways in November- 29 years after they got married
Today the London Ambulance Service also confirmed they had attended the scene but that the patient was pronounced dead on arrival.
A spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.42am today to reports of a person unwell in Barrowgate Road, Chiswick.
‘We sent two ambulance crews to the scene – the first one arriving within two minutes.
‘Sadly, the patient had already died.’
Dickinson is now living in Paris with ‘fitness teacher, journalist and fashion blogger’ Leana Dolci, thought to be in her 40s.
A source told The Mirror at the time: ‘Leana has always been a huge Iron Maiden fan, following them around for nearly 10 years.
Bruce and Paddy married in 1990 after dating for two years. The couple are pictured together in 2015
His divorce from Paddy came four years after he beat stage 3 throat cancer after finding out he had two tumours on his tongue
The couple’s (pictured at the Shakespeare’s Globe Gala Dinner in 2013) shock divorce was estimated to be worth £90 million
‘She and Bruce have got really close over the past year and she has even met his children. Paddy is in South America having some space from it all.’
His divorce from Paddy came four years after he beat stage 3 throat cancer after finding out he had two tumours on his tongue.
Paddy nursed him back to health at their home in London, as Bruce underwent nine weeks of chemotherapy and 33 sessions of radiation, getting the all-clear after six months.
Bruce later wrote about his cancer battle in his 2017 autobiography What Does This Button Do? and also told Rolling Stone magazine how surviving it changed his outlook on life – saying: ‘Living is living now, every minute, every second, for right now.’
In May 2015, the musician told BBC Radio 2 that he had made a conscious effort to keep his former wives and his children out of the book.
The musician (pictured) and his wife split in November, 29 years after they got married. Their shock divorce was estimated to be worth £90 million
He said: ‘There’s no need for it, really. And I think there’s a belief that that nastiness somehow sells books. And I’m not sure one, that it does, and two, that it’s particularly the sort of book that I want to be a part of.
‘So I made the decision that, in amongst not being horrid to people, cause there’s no point, at the same time, I thought, well, I also don’t want to tell confidences about other people’s lives.’
Bruce and Paddy married in 1990 after dating for two years. Previously, he was married to Jane Dickinson for four years from 1983 but they had no children.
Iron Maiden were formed in Leyton, east London, in 1975 and have sold over 100 million copies of their albums and won multiple awards, making them one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time.
At the same time, Bruce has carved out a career as a professional pilot with stints flying for BA, Easyjet and BMI. He now flies Iron Maiden on tour on the band’s Boeing 747, Ed Force One.
He is also a beer brewer, scriptwriter, novelist, a BBC radio presenter and entrepreneur as well as a world-class fencer.