Bruce Dickinson
Iron Maiden — Trooper, Flight of Icarus, Commercial Pilot
The Renaissance Leo
Bruce Dickinson is the most Renaissance Leo in rock: he is Iron Maiden’s lead vocalist, a qualified airline pilot who flew the band’s custom Boeing 757 ‘Ed Force One,’ a competitive fencer ranked in the top 7 in Britain, a published novelist, a radio broadcaster, and a motivational speaker. He survived throat cancer in 2015 and came back to sell out stadiums.
Leo Legacy
- Iron Maiden: Lead vocalist on most iconic albums — Powerslave, Piece of Mind, Somewhere in Time
- Commercial pilot: Qualified Boeing 757 captain — flew Iron Maiden’s own Boeing Ed Force One
- British fencing champion: Ranked in the top seven fencers in Britain
- Throat cancer: Diagnosed 2015 — returned to touring and recording within a year
Dickinson’s Leo defiance of limits is documented across five completely different careers.
“If you are going to be a great rock singer, you might as well be a great pilot too.”