For 21 years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been guilty of a great disservice. Iron Maiden has been eligible for inclusion into the hall since 2005, but they’ve never been voted in — that is, until now. The legendary heavy metal band from the U.K. is going to be honored in the class of 2026 Performer category alongside some huge names this year.
After releasing sixteen albums since their inception in 1975, touring the world countless times over, and amassing a massive fan base that catapulted them to mainstream pop culture relevance, I think we can all agree that this was well overdue.
Perfectly embodying the whole “better late than never” mantra, the folks behind the Rock Hall announced that Iron Maiden would enter the hall alongside their Performer category classmates: Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. Additionally, Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Gram Parsons will be presented with the Early Influence Award; Philly Soul songwriter Linda Creed, producer Arif Mardin, producer Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin will be honored with the Musical Excellence Award; and Ed Sullivan will be given the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Following the announcement, Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood issued a statement thanking the fans and the Rock Hall itself for finally including one of the greatest metal bands of all time.
“We’d like to thank the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for including us (and former members who were all part of our story) in the 2026 roll call of inductees.
“Iron Maiden have always been about our relationship with our fans above anything else, including awards and industry accolades. However, having said that, it’s always nice to be recognized and honored for any achievements within the music industry too!
“It also seems appropriate for the band to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year as we continue our 50th-anniversary celebrations with our ‘Run For Your Lives’ world tour visiting the Americas and beyond. We would also like to congratulate our fellow 2026 inductees and extend our gratitude as ever to our fans for their loyalty, perseverance and support for over 50 years now! See you all, somewhere on tour.”
Officially, the musicians getting inducted into the Rock Hall under the Iron Maiden banner are vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, along with former guitarist Dennis Stratton, former singers Paul Di’Anno and Blaze Bayley, and former drummer Clive Burr.
Eligibility for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame begins 25 years after the release of a band’s first official album. That being said, the Hall explains that “criteria include[s] the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock ‘n’ roll.” What exactly that means, however, is up for interpretation.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chairman John Sykes commented on today’s unveiling of the various inductees for 2026:
“Induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is music’s highest honor. We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year’s ceremony — it’s going to be an unforgettable night.”
Iron Maiden is now the 12th metal or metal adjacent band/artist to make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others are Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Kiss, Van Halen, Rush, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, and Deep Purple.
Of course, today’s induction flies in the face of Bruce Dickinson’s past statements on the matter. In the past, he’s even said he wouldn’t want to be inducted at all, telling The Jerusalem Post that he was “annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren’t in the Hall Of Fame.”
“I’m really happy we’re not there and I would never want to be there. If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.
“Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar.”
Regardless, Iron Maiden’s going in the Hall. The ceremony will occur on November 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will air on ABC and Disney+ the following month. Of course, Iron Maiden will be in the midst of an Australian tour when that takes place, so we’ll see if they attend their own induction.