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 after emergency services were called to reports of a person being ‘unwell’.
Two ambulances arrived to the scene, with the first one arriving within two minutes, but Bowden was pronounced dead on arrival.
The musician, 61, and his wife, who share three children together, parted ways in November 2019, 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(right with Dickinson in 2014) – has died in a ‘tragic accident’, the family has revealed
The couple ( pictured together in 2016) parted ways in November- 29 years after they got married
Iron Maiden frontman (pictured at Sweden Rock Festival in 2018) married Paddy in 1990 after two years of dating
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.’
The Iron Maiden frontman, who was previously married to Jane Dickinson, tied the knot with Bowden in 1990 after dating for two years.
However in November 2019, it was reported that the musician had quietly parted ways with the mother of his three children and was facing a multi-million pound divorce battle following what was considered one of the most stable marriages in the music industry.
It was later revealed that Dickinson had moved to Paris and had formed a relationship with the ‘fitness teacher, journalist and fashion blogger’ Leana Dolci, thought to be in her 40s.
After news of their relationship broke, a friend of Lena’s told The Mirror at the time: ‘Leana has always been a huge Iron Maiden fan, following them around for nearly 10 years.
‘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.’
The couple’s (pictured at the Shakespeare’s Globe Gala Dinner in 2013) shock divorce was estimated to be worth £90 million
Dickinson and Bowden (left in 2015 and right in 2016) married in 1990 after dating for two years and share three children together
Following his split from Bowden it was revealed that Dickinson had moved to Paris and formed a relationship with the Leana Dolce (pictured together in Paris)
A neighbour of the new couple told MailOnline at the time: ‘Bruce and Leana appear very much in love.
‘Bruce is trying to speak French but it is not necessary for Leana because she speaks English very well.
‘Bruce has been living here in Paris for quite some time.’
In 2015, Dickinson’s singing career was almost cut short as he battled stage 3 throat cancer after being told he had two tumours on his tongue.
The cancer was diagnosed during a routine check-up just before Christmas and Dickinson has just completed a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiology.
Bowden nursed him back to health at their home in London, as Dickinson underwent nine weeks of chemotherapy and 33 sessions of radiation before eventually getting the all-clear after six months.
Later that year Iron Maiden announced they would not be touring any of their shows until Dickinson was ‘back to full strength’.
Today, fans poured onto social media to pay tribute to the former wife of the Iron Maiden frontman.
One person wrote: ‘RIP Paddy Bowden. What a wonderful mother she must have been to bring us such talented children. Love to her nearest and dearest.’
While another social media user wrote: ‘RIP Paddy Bowden. Thinking of you, Bruce and family at this sad time.’
Dickinson, who has amassed a £100million fortune, 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.’
The musician also told BBC’s Radio 2 that he had made a conscious effort to keep his former wives and his children out of the book and has tried to keep his family life largely out of public view.
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.
Dickinson (pictured), who left the band in 1993 only to re-join in 1999, is known for his on-stage energy and vocal range
The frontman (pictured in Dublin, Ireland in 2010) battled stage 3 throat cancer in 2015
Iron Maiden were formed in Leyton, east London, in 1975 and have sold over 100 million copies of their albums
‘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.’
In 2017, he told BBC Breakfast: ‘The thing that focused my mind sharply was being diagnosed with throat cancer which was a bit of blow being a singer obviously.
‘Obviously I got better and so I thought that’s a pretty good reset button for the rest of your life.
‘Ten months in hiatus thinking I’m not sure if it’s going to work singing wise and then simultaneously wanting to learn to fly a 747 to go and fly the band around on a 72- date world tour I thought ”that’s not a bad comeback is it really”.’
The musician who has also carved out a career as a professional pilot with stints flying for BA, Easyjet and BMI, added: ‘It always makes me laugh when people say he’s a licensed commercial pilot like there’s an unlicensed commercial pilot.
‘Not being John Travolta I couldn’t afford to buy my own airliner and so I really got quite deeply into flying and loving aeroplanes and stuff and thought how do I get to fly a big jet and I thought well I’ll have to get a job.’
Dickinson and Bowden 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.
Dickinson – who quit the band in 1993 only to re-join in 1999 – is known and loved for his on-stage energy and wide vocal range.
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.
Today fans took to social media to pay tribute to the former wife of the Iron Maiden musician
The heavy metal band Iron Maiden backstage at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin in 1983. Pictured from left to right: Dave Murray, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain, and Adrian Smith
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
Dickinson, who also flies Iron Maiden while on tour on the band’s Boeing 747, Ed Force One, is also a beer brewer, scriptwriter, novelist, a BBC radio presenter and entrepreneur as well as a world-class fencer.
The singer still remains active touring with the rock band who have penned hits including Run To The Hills and Can I Play With Madness, and even flies them to show on their Boeing 757, named ‘Ed Force One’.
He also chairs an aviation firm in the Vale of Glamorgan that is set to receive millions of pounds in new investment.
In 2014 he said he had boycotted Glastonbury for being ‘too bourgeois’.
He said at the time: ‘Personally I have no interest in going to Glastonbury. In the days when Glasto was an alternative festival it was quite interesting, but anywhere Gwyneth Paltrow goes and you can live in an air-conditioned yurt is not for me.’
Last year, the musician revealed that his next solo album would be released in 2020 during an interview with Argentina’s Clarin magazine.