Barry Clayton, the man behind the sinister spoken intro of http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tags/iron-maiden/" rel="nofollow - Iron Maiden�s legendary http://ultimateclassicrock.com/article-666-iron-maiden-rules/" rel="nofollow - �The Number of the Beast� has http://www.islingtontribune.com/news/2011/dec/pioneering-black-radio-broadcaster-barry-clayton-has-died-age-80" rel="nofollow - passed away at the age of 80 . The cause of death is not known at this time.

Clayton�s intro would quickly become etched in the minds of heavy metal fans everywhere who heard a new and different kind of evil thanks to the unforgettable timbre of his spoken words.

Woe to You Oh Earth and Sea
For the Devil sends the beast with wrath
Because he knows the time is short
Let him who have understanding
Reckon the number of the beast
For it is a human number
Its number is six hundred and sixty six.

His deep bass voice was also heard in movie trailers and in his home country of Islington (in Greater London, England) where he lived for 40 years, he was known as a trailblazing pioneer of black television and radio programming.

Clayton produced the �Black Londoners,� the first black daily radio program from the time of its debut in 1974 until 1988. Later, he narrated the children�s program �Count Duckula.�

His work on �The Number of the Beast� certainly leaves an indelible mark with Iron Maiden fans and will certainly continue to be heard by new ears as future generations of music fans discover Maiden�s classic body of work.

Yeah.  Don't do that again, Catcher.  Implying that Bruce Dickenson died almost gave me a heart attack.