Tony Wilson, the man who is credited with putting the Manchester music scene on the global map, has died of cancer.
Wilson was born on February 20, 1950 and his life was immortalised in the movie '24 Hour Party People'.During his career, he was a TV show host, a journalist, a nightclub owner and a record company owner.
Wilson was the founder of Factory Records. The label was home to Joy Division/New Order and Happy Mondays.
With New Order, he started Manchester's Hacienda Club, and never went bust as a result.
The British first heard of Wilson in the early 70s when the young Tony scored a job as a news reporter on Granada Television.
He was diagnosed with renal cancer earlier this year and died today in his Manchester home of a heart attack, brought on by the advanced stages of the cancer.
In an online posting, New Order's Peter Hook said "It's a very, very, very sad day. I feel very lost out here in Japan. It's like my father dying all over again. I'm devastated."
"I'll be going back to England as soon as possible to pick up the pieces. My heart goes out to Yvette, Oliver, Hilary and Isabelle. I'm thinking of you all, my heart is broken.
"Say hello to Rob, Ian and Martin for me please Tony. Rest in peace. God bless."
Fellow New Order member Stephen Morris said in a statement "There would be no Joy Division or New Order without Tony. He really believed in us and he was smart enough to start a label and put our records out."
