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Steve Strange, Visage lead singer, dies aged 55

Steve Strange, lead singer of 1980s pop band Visage, has died aged 55 following a heart attack, his record label says.

Strange, real name Steven Harrington, died in his sleep in a hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The Welsh New Romantic icon is best known for his Visage hit Fade To Grey.

Marc Green, August Day Recordings label manager, said his "family, band members and friends are all distraught at this sudden news of his untimely death.

Strange, a New Romantic pioneer, was born in Newbridge, Caerphilly county, and got involved in music after seeing the Sex Pistols in concert in 1976.

He went to London aged 15 to work for Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McClaren before setting up the Blitz Club in Soho, central London, which would become a focal point for the New Romantic movement.

Bands including Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club all got their start at the club before finding stardom.

His band, Visage, formed in 1979 and released their breakthrough record, Fade To Grey, the following year, peaking at number eight in the UK Singles Chart.

Strange finished recording a classical interpretation of the record last year.

The Welsh pop singer found fame in the 1980s as frontman for the band Visage

Tributes have been paid to the pop singer on Twitter, with Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon tweeting: "I'm very sad to announce that our friend Steve Strange has died in Egypt today. He was the leading edge of New Romantic. God Bless him."

Billy Idol wrote: "Very sad to hear of my friend Steve Strange passing, RIP mate."

His agent, Pete Bassett, said he would be remembered as "a hard-working, very amusing and lovable individual who always was at the forefront of fashion trends".

"Up until last year he was putting together a book of fashion styles based on the New Romantic movement and it comes as a great shock.

"We understood that he had certain health problems but nothing we knew was life threatening.

"His friends and family are totally shocked, we had no idea anything like this was likely to happen."

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31449838

"Fade To Grey" will always be a stone cold classic, RIP. Even its' ripoff from 10 years ago, "One Word" by Kelly Osbourne was great too.

This post has been edited by Ne Plus Ultra: Feb 12 2015, 10:26 PM