Ian Curtis†

May 18th, 1980 IAN CURTIS ended his life, aged 23.

The driving force behind Joy Division's dark vision, he hanged himself in his Macclesfield home as the band rested between a European and American tour. Iggy Pop's 'The Idiot' was found on his turntable alongside a note which read "at this very moment, I wish I were dead. I just can't cope anymore".

Curtis joined Joy Divison in 1976, after answering a "seeking singer" ad that guitarist Bernard Albrecht (latterly Sumner) and bassist Peter Hook had placed in the window of Virgin Records in Manchester. When Stephen Morris joined on drums in August 1977, the band proper was born. They began rehearsing in earnest and touring what would become a trademark bleak, expressive sound. Their live shows caught the ear of semi-legendary Manchester names DJ Rob Gretton and journalist and Factory Records boss Tony Wilson. In May 1978 they went into the studio to record what was planned as their first, self-titled, album. When an engineer decided to overdub synthesisers, the band scrapped the LP.

It wasn't until 1979 with the recording of a session for BBC Radio One's John Peel and the July release of 'Unknown Pleasures' through Factory Records, that Joy Divison's dark star began to rise.

However, as their career took off, Curtis' own health began to suffer. An epileptic, he frequently took fits while on stage. As the band's touring schedule increased so did the intensity of the seizures, and it often became difficult to tell the difference between them and his usual onstage jerkiness. Curtis is also believed to have become depressed at what he saw as an audience who were more keen to watch him break down than to listen to Joy Division.

Following a short break during Christmas 1979, Joy Divison set off on a brief European tour, heading back to the studio in early February to work on the follow-up to 'Unknown Pleasures'.

They released 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' in April, and with momentum building in the US they were due to take off for their first ever tour of the States.

They never went. Curtis hanged himself in his kitchen two days before the flight. It was not his first suicide attempt.

Ironically, Joy Division went on to have their most commercially successful period. Their album 'Closer' peaked at Number 6 in the UK after its August release (the artwork, chosen before Curtis' death, eerily depicts a shrouded body in a tomb) and 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' hit number 13 on its re-release.

Joy Division ceased to be - they had always said they would draw a line beneath the band if any member left. The three remaining members regrouped as New Order during early 1981 (Morris' girlfriend Gillian Gilbert joined on keyboards) and continue to enjoy commercial success and critical acclaim.

Since Curtis' death there have a number of Joy Division releases, including 1988's 'Substance' and 1999's 'Preston Warehouse 28 February 1980' In 1998, a box set, containing both previously recorded and live material, was released.

'Touching from a Distance' a biography written by his widow, Deborah Curtis was published in 1995. It remains the most candid and open record available of his short life and sad death.