Clive Burr, former drummer of British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, died on Tuesday.

Burr, 56, died in his home in London and had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, according to Reuters. The band also said in a statement that Burr has been in poor health for years.

Steve Harris, the bassist and founder of Iron Maiden, said in a statement on the band's site, "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."

Harris added, "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."

The site explains that Clive joined the band in 1979 and performed in the first three albums titled Iron Maiden (1980), Killers (1981) and The Number of The Beast (1982).

The third album topped the UK album charts and he left the band that same year. Iron Maiden had a sting of big-selling albums in the United States in 1983 that gave the band more international attention. 

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