Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr has died in his sleep on Tuesday night (March 12) after a battle with multiple sclerosis. He was 56 years old.

Burr joined Maiden in 1979 after playing with a group called Samson, which also featured future Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson. He played with Iron Maiden on their landmark first three albums; ‘Iron Maiden’ (1980), ‘Killers’ (1981) and ‘The Number of the Beast’ (1982).

After his tenure in Iron Maiden, Burr went on to play with a variety of groups including Trust, Alcatrazz, Gogmagog, and Clive Burr’s Escape. Burr also played with Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider in a band called Desperado.

After Burr was diagnosed with MS, his former band mates started the Clive Burr Trust, a fund to help the drummer pay his household expenses, travel for treatment, and buy specialized equipment to help him stay mobile. Burr actively oversaw a series of concerts dubbed Clive Aid, through which he raised money for multiple sclerosis research and awareness.

Iron Maiden posted the following statement to their website on Wednesday (March 13):
“

We are deeply saddened to report that Clive Burr passed away last night. He had suffered poor health for many years after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and died peacefully in his sleep at home.

Steve Harris said “This is terribly sad news. Clive was a very old friend of all of us. He was a wonderful person and an amazing drummer who made a valuable contribution to Maiden in the early days when we were starting out. This is a sad day for everyone in the band and those around him and our thoughts and condolences are with his partner Mimi and family at this time.”

Bruce Dickinson adds “I first met Clive when he was leaving Samson and joining Iron Maiden. He was a great guy and a man who really lived his life to the full. Even during the darkest days of his M.S., Clive never lost his sense of humour or irreverence. This is a terribly sad day and all our thoughts are with Mimi and the family”

Funeral arrangements for Clive Burr have yet to be announced.

I was very sad to hear this news this morning. I didn't come to Maiden's music until I was in my 30s. I remember a couple of friends in high school talking about this new band, either in 1980 or '81, and how their drummer was better and faster than John Bonham, Keith Moon, Neil Peart & Stewart Copeland. As a drummer myself who loved all four of those guys I was skeptical, and when I heard some of their music on my friend's portable cassette player I wasn't into it...so I ignored them for years. Sometime around '97 or '98 I was in a used LP store and I found used copies of four of their albums very cheap and decided to check them out. I was fortunate that my selections were Killers, The Number Of The Beast, Piece Of Mind and Live After Death. Halfway through Killers I knew I had discovered a band I would love...many years later than I should have...and when I heard Dickinson's voice on Beast I was completely hooked.

As much as I love what Nicko McBrain has brought to Maiden, there was a youthful ferocity to Clive Burr's playing that makes those early albums stand out from the rest...even though my favorite era of their career, songwise, is from Piece Of Mind through Fear Of The Dark. It's a shame that Clive was afflicted with MS, and I can imagine how devastating it must be for a musician to no longer be able to play, let alone all the other obstacles involved. I hope he's at rest now. His contributions won't be forgotten.

We're losing too many musicians lately. Yesterday, finding out about Peter Banks and now Clive Burr. 56 is too young. Although I tend to think more of Nicko as the Iron Maiden drummer, Clive played some really great stuff and ended his career with Maiden with their breakthrough album, The Number Of The Beast. He negotiated those time signatures and shifts in tempo with finesse.

RIP Clive. I saw Maiden with Clive on the NOTB Tour 1982 at The Palladium in NYC. It was a great show. I know he left Maiden due to his health back then. Prayers go to his family, and 56 is way too young.

Sad news. RIP.