Nonetheless, Hook was adamant that Curtis never wanted to upset or concern his bandmates, and would "tell [us] what [we] wanted to hear" if they expressed any concern as to his condition. Punk Singer. The band was made up of Vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Even though the the band’s new name sounded upbeat and positive ( the name actually came from a reference in the 1955 book House of Dolls that talks about a branch of a Nazi concentration camp where officers would go to take advantage of female prisoners. First Name. Ian passed away on May 18, 1980 at the age of 23 in Macclesfield, England. Published on January 9th, 2014 | by AlexandreG. Death Records - Name Search . He sent her home and told her not to come back until 10:00am the next morning. Gretton had experience in the Manchester punk scene. Ian Curtis of Joy Division dies by suicide On the evening of May 18, 1980, Ian Curtis, lead singer and lyricist of the British group Joy Division, hangs himself in his Cheshire kitchen. The release wouldn’t reflect the band’s definitive sound as it leaned heavily more towards their Punk influences and subsequent releases from the group would see them developing more of a post-punk sound. When Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis took his life on this day 38 years ago, it shook everyone to the core. He grew up listening to The Who and The Rolling Stones, and other heroes of his teenage years included David Bowie, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and James Dean. Joy Division was a post-punk band first inspired by the Sex Pistols that formed in 1976 in Manchester, England. Indeed the strain had become too much” he’d say. Curtis was Kurt Cobain before Kurt Cobain. His death was poetically beautiful. Curtis, who played deputy Festus Haggin from 1963-75, died in his sleep Sunday at his home here, family members said Monday. The pills he took to help his epilepsy are believed by many to be the cause of Ian's intense depression from that point up until his death. [57] On one occasion during these recordings, Curtis's bandmates became concerned when they noted he had been absent from the recording studio for two hours. His employment as a civil servant saw Curtis initially deployed to Cheadle Hulme, where he worked for several months with the Ministry of Defence,[21] before he was offered alternate employment within the Manpower Services Commission in a building at Piccadilly Gardens. Ian Curtis, Soundtrack: Donnie Darko. [93] A central "mowing" stone used to hold floral tributes was reported stolen from the grave in August 2019. John Peel announcing the death of Ian Curtis and playing New Dawn Fades by Joy Division on his show on BBC Radio 1 on 19 May 1980. Joy Division was a band with a bright future, but they never really experienced the fruits of their labor during their four short years together. [94] Shortly after Curtis's death, Bernard Sumner inherited the Vox Phantom VI Special guitar Ian Curtis had acquired in September 1979; he used this instrument in several early New Order songs, including the single "Everything's Gone Green".[39]. He also found himself living alone and on April 9, 1980, Curtis attempted to take his life by overdosing on pills. [47] Honoré claimed in a 2010 interview that although she and Curtis had spent extensive periods in each other's company, their relationship had been a platonic one. 3. His life and death has been dramatized in the films 24 Hour Party People in 2002 and Control in 2007. [59] In one incident, at a concert held before almost 3,000 people at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park in April 1980, the lighting technicians at the venue—contrary to instructions given to them by Rob Gretton prior to the gig—switched on strobe lights midway through Joy Division's performance, causing Curtis to almost immediately stagger backwards and collapse against Stephen Morris's drum kit in the throes of an evident seizure. [2][3], Curtis was born on 15 July 1956, at the Memorial Hospital in Stretford, Lancashire, and grew up in a working-class household in Macclesfield, Cheshire. [64] In April 1980,[65] Terry Mason was appointed as a minder to ensure Curtis took his prescribed medications, avoided alcohol consumption and got sufficient sleep. It’s a raw, punk album that many disregard as atypical of the band. [73] He had also made firm plans to rendezvous with his bandmates at Manchester Airport the following day, before their departure for America. The tracks "ICB" (an acronym of 'Ian Curtis, Buried') and "The Him" from their debut album Movement both refer to his passing. [6] While at King's School, he was awarded several scholastic awards in recognition of his abilities, particularly at the ages of 15 and 16. [105] The film was directed by the Dutch rock photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn, who had previously photographed the band and directed the video for their single "Atmosphere". [n 1] By his mid-teens, Curtis had also developed a reputation among his peers as a strong-willed individual, with a keen interest in fashion. Deborah Curtis and Tony Wilson were executive producers, while Todd Eckert of Clara Flora was the producer. The Death of a Rock Star podcast series has produced a new documentary episode exploring the legacy of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. John Peel announcing the death of Ian Curtis and playing New Dawn Fades by Joy Division on his show on BBC Radio 1 on 19 May 1980. Ian Curtis. His zodiac sign is Cancer. Now Curtis had struggled with depression for a long time as at the age of 16 he had to get his stomach pumped after overdosing on prescribed medication used to treat a variety of ailments. Honoré left the music business in 1985. She died on 3 July 2014 of cancer. He especially liked musicians whose lyrics spoke of death, or those who had died at their peak. How did Ian Curtis die? He died 2 months before the band’s sophomore album Closer was released and on the eve of a US tour. Wales Death Records. It is possible to discover a spouse’s name from the death record. Last Name. The instrumental track "Elegia", released in 1985, was also written in his memory,[95] while the 2002 song "Here to Stay" was dedicated to Curtis as well as Rob Gretton and Martin Hannett. Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. [102][103], In 2012, Curtis was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Peter Blake to appear in a new version of the Beatles' Sgt. Authors Mick Middles and Lindsay Reade released the book Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis in 2006. Biography - A Short Wiki. [41][42] Reportedly, despite the fact he had for many years exhibited a somewhat controlling attitude within their relationship[43] (which had included minimising any opportunity for his wife to come into contact with other men),[40][44] Curtis was consumed with guilt over this affair due to being married[45] and the father to their baby daughter, but at the same time still yearning to be with Honoré. Joy Division celebrate Ian Curtis on 40th anniversary of death – ‘A born-to-be frontman’ JOY DIVISION have celebrated their frontman, Ian Curtis, on the 40th anniversary of his death. And in 1978, Rob Gretton became the band’s manager, and was also the co-director of Factory Records. Due to variances in the way the death index was created, some records may have incomplete (partial) Date of Death information. Ian Kevin Curtis was born in Manchester on the 15th July 1956, the son of Kevin and Doreen Curtis. . He also co-founded a nightclub in Manchester called “The Hacienda.” which saw him act as a DJ there. [25] Initially, the couple lived with Ian's grandparents, although shortly after their marriage the couple moved to a working-class neighbourhood in Chadderton,[26] where they paid a mortgage while working in jobs neither enjoyed. Change comes from reflection. " Curtis was known for his bass-baritone voice, dance style and songwriting typically filled with imagery of desolation, emptiness and alienation. [60], When Curtis had recovered from this first seizure, he was adamant the band travel to West Hampstead to honour their commitment to perform their second gig of the evening at this location, although some 25 minutes into this second gig, Curtis's "dancing started to lose its rhythmic sense and change into something else entirely" before he collapsed to the floor and experienced the most violent seizure he had endured to date. And the pair would team up with drummer Terry Mason who was also at the Pistols show that night. [17] The trio informed Curtis—whom they had seen at earlier punk gigs at The Electric Circus—of their intentions to form a band[8] and Curtis informed them of his then-recent efforts to do likewise,[29] before proposing himself as both their singer and lyricist. He was buried at burial place. [89], Curtis's body was cremated at Macclesfield Crematorium on 23 May 1980 and his ashes were buried at Macclesfield Cemetery. Hook talked about his experience in the band for a 2020 interview with Spin Magazine saying: He was the lead singer and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division and recorded two albums with the group: Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980). Curtis has begun an alleged affair with Honore, causing his wife Deborah to leave him and begin divorce proceedings. The pressure of touring, substance abuse, flashing lights and sleepless nights affected Ian Curtis’s condition, and by the time the band recorded their second studio album Closer, which was released on July 18, 1980, he was suffering from almost two seizures a week. Curtis obtained a job at a record shop in Manchester City Centre,[20] before obtaining more stable employment within the civil service. [1] According to critic Simon Reynolds, Joy Division's influence has extended from contemporaries such as U2 and the Cure to later acts including Interpol, Bloc Party and Editors. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. [48], Curtis's bandmates later recollected that he began to become slightly "lofty" and distant from them after he had become acquainted with Honoré, who was demanding of his time and attention. As the band’s star began to rise, frontman Ian Curtis’s health started to quickly started to deteriorate. Unknown Pleasures would go on to become a defining record of the post-punk era, and arguably one of the best albums of the last century. The occupation is also indicated, but, for children, it is replaced with a parent’s name. Even though Ian Curtis could be deep and introspective, he also had a flip side to his personality that saw him turn on a dime.. At a 1977 performance at the Electric Circus, Morris remembers that Curtis could fly off the handle –, “He got really wound up and we got on the stage and all of a sudden he’s turned into the whirling dervish he’s manic routine wasn’t put on, it was passion.”, Something in the performance struck music reporter John Savage, who was at the show writing for a weekly music newspaper called “Sounds.” In a 2019 interview with the Guardian, he recalled Joy Division being the “the most powerful live group I’ve ever seen.”. [34], After founding Factory Records[35] with Alan Erasmus, Tony Wilson signed the band to his label following its first appearance on the TV music show he hosted, So It Goes, in September 1978. Here, he developed his interests in philosophy, literature and eminent poets such as Thom Gunn. ... To qualify this Deborah Curtis is supposed to maintain that there was no mention of suicide in the note Ian left for her. They didn’t argue.” he’d say. All the trio needed now was a vocalist and they placed an ad looking for a singer in a local Manchester virgin records shop. British Singer Ian Curtis was born on 15th July, 1956 in Macclesfield, England and passed away on 18th May 1980 Macclesfield, England aged 23. Indeed he wrote about his plans upon returning from America. Suicide. River Phoenix (23): Overdose of cocaine and heroin. Those close to Curtis claimed to have a different story of what they think happened to him Cause of death: Suicide. He later worked as a civil servant in Woodford, Greater Manchester although, at his request, approximately one year later[22] Curtis was posted to Macclesfield's Employment Exchange, where he worked as an Assistant Disablement Resettlement Officer. First it was Kurt Cobain’s ashes, stolen from the, um, safety of widow Courtney Love’s Hollywood home. [101] In October 2020, in line with Manchester music and mental wellbeing festival Headstock, a large mural depicting a black and white portrait of Ian Curtis was painted on the side of a building on Port Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter by street artist Aske. [42], Curtis began suffering epileptic seizures in late 1978; he was officially diagnosed with the condition on 23 January the following year,[49][n 4] with his particular case being described by doctors as so severe, his "life would [be] ruled to obsolescence by his severe epilepsy"[51] without the various strong dosages of medications he was prescribed. [n 9]. [86][n 10] In a 2013 Guardian interview, Genesis P-Orridge claimed to be the last person with whom Curtis spoke before his death. Cause of death: Suicide by hanging. Curtis suffered from epilepsy and depression and took his own life on the eve of Joy Division's first North American tour and shortly before the release of Closer. [11] Among Curtis' earliest experiences with music was in a church choir as a young kid, in his hometown of Macclesfield. Share Ian's profile on Social Media. Front man Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, but the myth of Curtis and the handful of albums and singles Joy Division made live on, Peter Kenworthy writes. And the day following the performance, Hook borrowed £35 from his mother to buy a bass guitar while Sumner bought a guitar. Lead vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Joy Division, the group that released the songs “She’s Lost Control” and “Transmission. [39], Curtis' widow has claimed that, in October 1979, Curtis began conducting an affair with the Belgian journalist and music promoter Annik Honoré,[40] whom he had first met at a gig held in Brussels that month. Quaisquer sejam as razões, Ian Curtis tirou sua vida apenas dois dias antes do início de uma turnê nos EUA, que seria, potencialmente, uma guinada na carreira da banda. In her biography, Touching from a Distance,[79] Deborah recalls finding her husband's body and initially thinking that he was still alive before noticing the washing line around his neck. They said the cause of death was unkown. Shortly thereafter, in May 1977, the couple moved into their own house in Barton Street, Macclesfield,[8] with one of the rooms of the property becoming colloquially known between the couple as Curtis‘s "song-writing room". I’ve not been in a group like Joy Division since, and it’s always lacked something and been much more difficult to be in than Joy Division was” he’d say. [8][55] This change in personality was also observed by Curtis's wife, family and in-laws, who noted how taciturn he had become in his wife's company. Deborah then drove to her parents' home to inform them of her intentions. Ian Curtis Death. [10][n 3], While performing with Joy Division, Curtis became known for his quiet and awkward demeanour and a unique dancing style[37] often reminiscent of the epileptic seizures he began experiencing in late 1978. John Bush of AllMusic argues that they "became the first band in the post-punk movement by ... emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing ahead to the rise of melancholy alternative music in the '80s". It’s members held down day jobs for several years while playing shows , and during the recording of their final studio record Closer, after they had quit their jobs, they were living on almost $70 per week. Initially, Curtis played Sumner's Shergold Masquerader, but in September 1979 he acquired his own guitar, a Vox Phantom VI Special which had many built-in effects used both live and in studio. 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