A Swedish Iron Maiden fan who became a cult figure on the Internet after posting highly original and amusing versions of classic Iron Maiden songs on his web site has reportedly been found dead following his disappearance a week earlier from his apartment in Hässleholmen (Borås).
The Swedish daily newspaper Borås Tidning is reporting that no foul play is suspected in the case, leading to speculation that Anton Gustafsson's death was self-inflicted (as a deterrent to publicity-seekers, the Swedish media generally does not report on suicides unless it involves high-profile individuals).
Gustafsson (a.k.a.
Anton Maiden) (
Photo#1,
Photo#2), who was 23 years old at the time of his death, found himself one of the very first stars of the international DIY (do-it-yourself) Internet music era four years ago when his unique versions of classic
Iron Maiden songs (
"Run To The Hills" mp3,
"Number Of The Beast" mp3) landed him appearances on Swedish national TV (view
Anton's hilarious 1999 segment on the Swedish TV program
"Sajber" here) and in newspapers around the world. A subsequent CD release (view cover
here) was made available in a limited edition of 1,000 copies and has since become a much-sought-after collector's item.
The CD, which featured 11 Iron Maiden songs sung in Anton's inimitable karaoke style, was recorded on his home computer using free MIDI files of classic Iron Maiden songs that he had downloaded from one of Scandinavia's MIDI-module metal web sites, the Iron Maiden Sound Archive.
Not everyone appreciated Anton Maiden, though. In an interview in the Swedish newspaper Expressen published in June 2000, Anton told journalist Martin Carlsson that Iron Maiden fans "think that my interpretations are a disgrace to Iron Maiden. But that was never my intent."
Nasty comments in the guestbook on his web site eventually contributed to Anton's decision to put an end to his "career" as Anton Maiden. "It just feels silly to continue," he told Expressen. "There will be no more records, [and] there's no point in trying to convince me [to change my mind]."
Source: Blabbermouth.Net
