Ian Curtis

Ian Curtis (1956–1980) was the vocalist and lyricist of Joy Division, the band he co-founded with Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris in Salford, England in 1976. His baritone voice, epileptic and convulsive stage presence, and literary lyrics — drawing on J.G. Ballard, Dostoyevsky, and his own psychological deterioration — defined Joy Division's two studio albums, Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980), produced by Martin Hannett on Factory Records. He died by suicide at age 23 the night before Joy Division's first North American tour. The remaining members continued as New Order.