Musician, Lead Singer for "Joy Division." Born in Stretford, Lancashire, England, he lived most of his life in Macclesfield and attended King's School there. He helped form "Joy Division" in Manchester in 1977 with guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. An epileptic, he was known for mimicking his seizures in dance form while performing. The resemblance to reality was such that audience members were occasionally uncertain whether he was dancing or having a seizure. By 1978, it appeared that his epilepsy worsened, and many of the songs he wrote during that period were filled with images of emotional suffering, death, and violence. In early 1980, he broke down after a performance and had to be carried off stage. The effects of his epilepsy and marital problems may have contributed to an attempted suicide on April 7. On April 8, he was pulled out of a psychiatric hospital in order to play a show; when he couldn't go on, the crowd rioted, and he had another breakdown. Ten days later, just days before "Joy Division" was to begin its first American tour, he died, leaving a wife and one-year-old daughter. He was cremated and his ashes buried in Macclesfield. His epitaph, chosen by his wife, is a reference to a "Joy Division" song of the same name. His death led Sumner, Hook and Morris to form the influential new wave band, "New Order" with Morris' then-girlfriend-now wife, Gillian Gilbert.
Musician, Lead Singer for "Joy Division." Born in Stretford, Lancashire, England, he lived most of his life in Macclesfield and attended King's School there. He helped form "Joy Division" in Manchester in 1977 with guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. An epileptic, he was known for mimicking his seizures in dance form while performing. The resemblance to reality was such that audience members were occasionally uncertain whether he was dancing or having a seizure. By 1978, it appeared that his epilepsy worsened, and many of the songs he wrote during that period were filled with images of emotional suffering, death, and violence. In early 1980, he broke down after a performance and had to be carried off stage. The effects of his epilepsy and marital problems may have contributed to an attempted suicide on April 7. On April 8, he was pulled out of a psychiatric hospital in order to play a show; when he couldn't go on, the crowd rioted, and he had another breakdown. Ten days later, just days before "Joy Division" was to begin its first American tour, he died, leaving a wife and one-year-old daughter. He was cremated and his ashes buried in Macclesfield. His epitaph, chosen by his wife, is a reference to a "Joy Division" song of the same name. His death led Sumner, Hook and Morris to form the influential new wave band, "New Order" with Morris' then-girlfriend-now wife, Gillian Gilbert.
Bio by: Iola
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