Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and Machine Head's Dave Mcclain are among the stars who have paid tribute to Clive Burr following his death on Tuesday (12Mar13).

Iron Maiden's former drummer passed away after losing his battle with multiple sclerosis just four days after his 56th birthday, and the world of rock has been plunged into mourning.

In a statement to Blabbermouth.net, Snider writes, "We worked together on a project called Desperado from 1988-1990 and shared some great times, and sadly forgotten musical moments. I'm blessed to have spoken to him a couple of days ago on his birthday, shared some memories and a few smiles.

"A rock 'n' roll legend has been lost, and the world of music is less because of it. Rip, Clive, and 'hit 'em hard' in rock 'n' roll heaven."

Ian took to his Twitter.com page to write, "Sad sad news. My thoughts are with his family", while singer Chris Jericho adds on the site, "Sad to hear of the passing of Clive Burr - great drummer and big part of Iron Maiden's success. He looked so cool too!"

MCClain credited the star with inspiring his career, recalling on his Facebook.com page, "One of my favorite drummers and a huge influence on me as a young drummer. To me, he brought punk rock drumming into heavy metal. I can remember walking into the Hemisphere Arena in San Antonio (Texas) to see Iron Maiden and seeing Clive's white kit on stage. I about c**pped my pants!

"I just stood there in awe... He will always be an inspiration to my drumming. One of my go-to guys when I'm trying to find different drum fills and beats, or I'll ask myself 'what would Clive do?'."

Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo also detailed his grief at Burr's passing on his Facebook account, stating, "Sadness overcame my morning when I heard this news. His style was inspiring and the albums he recorded with Iron Maiden are touchstones of my music education. He played with a particular energy which brought edge and excitement to the Iron Maiden classics. I never got to meet him, but I wish did."