Iron Maiden Guitarist Adrian Smith Loses House in L.A. Wildfires: ‘We Will Start Again’
Written by djfrosty on January 13, 2025
Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith is the latest musician to share that they’ve lost a home in the Los Angeles wildfires. The longtime heavy metal veteran’s wife, Natalie Dufresne-Smith, announced the news in an Instagram post over the weekend, writing, “We are safe. We have each other. We will start again. #malibustrong.”
She added a thank you to everyone supporting the family during these difficult times.
Last week, Dufresne-Smith posted footage of smoke billowing over the hills in an update telling her followers that the their family was safe at that point, though at the time she was not sure if their neighborhood would make it. She also posted a clip of the Smiths packing up their house as she narrated the harried flight from the smoke a fire. “Here we are, it’s pretty nasty, the closest we’ve been [to the fires],” she narrated as the longtime Iron Maiden guitarist did a final look around at the property and checked on a neighbor.
According to CNN, at least 24 people have died to date, with many more missing and nearly 200,000 Angelenos under evacuation orders as experts expect the deadly Santa Anna winds to whip up again this week, threatening further fire spread. Two of the larger fires, the Eaton and Palisades blazes, are already the second and fourth-most destructive fires in California history, burning a combined 38,000-plus acres to date; the Eaton fire is currently only 27% contained, with the Palisades Fire around 13% containment.
Smith’s post came around the same time that Primus bassist/singer Les Claypool revealed that his band’s guitarist, Larry “Ler” LaLonde and his family had lost their home in Pacific Palisades, a historic L.A. neighborhood that has been all-but-destroyed by the Palisades fire. Among the thousands of Angelenos whose homes have been burned to the ground by the fires are a number of musicians and entertainment industry veterans, including Mandy Moore (and her husband, Dawes leader Taylor Goldsmith), Paris Hilton, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, Jhené Aiko, Paris Hilton, songwriter Diane Warren and The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag and many more.
In addition, Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan said his family had to flee the home they were staying in in Los Angeles.
On Monday (Jan. 13), Beyonce’s Beygood foundation pledged a $2.5 million donation to the L.A. Fire Relief Fund to assist families in need. In addition, Regional Mexican stars Fuerza Regida are renting out hotel rooms for displaced families and Hilton — whose Malibu home burned down live on TV — launched an emergency fund through her 11:11 Media Impact nonprofit to support families who’ve lost homes.
MusiCares and the Recording Academy launched the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to support music professionals impacted by the crisis, with a combined pledge of $1 million to kick off the effort. Anyone who has worked in the music industry for more than five years may qualify for immediate assistance, including up to $1,500 in financial aid and $500 in food vouchers.
For health alerts, evacuation updates and additional shelter information as the wildfire battle continues, go to L.A. County’s emergency website here. A number of organizations, listed here, are also offering help to those impacted by the wildfires, which began last Tuesday. Musicians and music industry professionals who are affected can get more details about assistance here.
See Dufresne-Smith’s post below.