Curtis, Ian
From Astro-Databank
| Name |
| ||
| Birthname | Curtis, Ian Kevin | ||
| born on | 15 July 1956 | ||
| Place | Manchester, England, 53n30, 2w15 | ||
| Timezone | GDT h1e (is daylight saving time) | ||
| Data source |
| ||
| Astrology data |   22°55'   or 
|
Biography
British musician, the charismatic leader and vocalist of the Manchester-based post-punk "urban-depressive" rock band "Joy Division." (The name was taken from the Nazi name for the group of female prisoners kept alive to be used as prostitutes for the German army.)
Curtis mesmerized his audiences with his intense and dramatic Artaud-like performances, actually having seizures while on stage. Well-read, Curtis wrote high quality lyrics for his beautiful, sad music. An epileptic, depression-prone with a borderline personality-type and a regular drug user (mainly marijuana and amphetamines), Curtis always entertained suicidal thoughts since a youth, an emulator of the motto, "live fast, die young."
Married with one child, he had an affair with a Belgian woman which led to intense depression and inner conflict. On 5/18/1980, a few hours after watching Werner Herzog's film "Stroszek," Curtis hanged himself at his home to the sound track of Iggy Pop's "The Idiot."
Joy Division never did the promised American tour but the remaining members segued into the acclaimed pop group "New Order."
Events
- Death by Suicide 18 May 1980 (Hanged himself, age 23)
Source Notes
Felipe Ferreira quotes a biography by his widow, Deborah Curtis, "Touching From a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division," Faber and Faber, London, p.1. Time unknown; request refused by the Trafford General Hospital without permission from Curtis' next of kin.
Categories
- Personal : Death : Suicide (Hanged himself, age 23)
- Diagnoses : Psychological : Abuse Drugs (Regular social drug use)
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Vocalist/ Pop, Rock, etc. (Lead vocalist)
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Group/ Duo (Joy Division)
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Song writer
- Diagnoses : Major Diseases : Epilepsy (Seizures during performances)
