Anthony Wilson, the man behind some of the most popular British bands, including New Order and Happy Mondays, has died after suffering a heart attack.
The 57-year-old, who co-founded Factory Records, died Friday evening in a Manchester hospital. Wilson, known as "Mr. Manchester," was already battling kidney cancer but his doctor confirmed that he died from the heart attack.
"His cancer was responding well to treatment but obviously did contribute to his poor health," said Dr. Robert Hawkins.
'He believed the band should have total freedom.'—Stephen Morris from New Order
Wilson's record label and his Hacienda nightclub are credited with introducing a number of Manchester bands to the world during the 1980s and 1990s.
"He was very passionate about music and he believed the band should have total freedom," Stephen Morris, of Joy Division and New Order, told the BBC.
"He was I think, the only person in the music industry that didn't believe in contracts. You'd see him do deals with record companies and the whole thing was done on the back of his hand. You could literally do what you want."
Peter Saville, of Factory Records, said Wilson was serious about what he did.
"Tony to me was an intellectual in popular culture. So whether it was television or music, Tony brought a kind of gravitas to it and a sense of importance to it."
'Massive loss for Manchester'
BBC Radio Manchester presenter Terry Christian said he was devastated by the news of his friend's death.
"To me he is irreplaceable. It is a massive loss to Manchester," he said. "Tony was so full of life. He was fantastic and I never got tired of his company."
Born in 1950 in Salford, Lancashire, Wilson would go on to study English at Cambridge University. After graduating, he became a journalist and TV presenter in Manchester, fronting the Granada TV music program, So It Goes.
He founded Factory Records in the late 1970s, which helped give birth to bands such as Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays.
Never content to do one thing, he set up The Hacienda nightclub in 1982, which became known as the heart of the "Madchester" scene, playing host to bands such as New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Oasis.
The club closed in 1997 but its rise and fall was fictionalized in Michael Winterbottom's 2002 film, 24 Hour Party People. Wilson's character was played by comedian Steve Coogan to critical acclaim.
Wilson later went on to set up the annual Manchester music conference "In The City," in addition to hosting radio shows, one on BBC Radio Manchester and another on Xfm. He was also the main presenter of the BBC's Politics Show in the Northwest region.
Wilson was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2006 and had a kidney removed in January 2007.
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