Editing Ian Curtis

{{Short description|English musician (1956–1980)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = Ian Curtis Joy Division 1979.jpg
<!-- NOTE: Do not replace Ian Curtis Joy Division 1979.jpg unless it is with a photo under a public domain or free license (meaning NOT fair use). Any fair use photos (i.e. 'promotional photos') violate the Fair Use Policy and will be deleted. See [[Wikipedia:Fair]] use criteria -->| caption           = Curtis performing in July 1979
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1956|07|15|df=y}}
| birth_place       = [[Stretford]], [[Lancashire]], England
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1980|05|18|1956|07|15|df=yes}}
| death_place       = [[Macclesfield]], [[Cheshire]], England
{{Infobox person
| spouse            = {{marriage|Deborah Woodruff|1975}}
| child             = yes
| children          = 1
}}
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Gothic rock]]<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joy-division-mn0000290812/biography |title=Joy Division: Biography |last=Bush |first=John |website=AllMusic |access-date=20 July 2013}}</ref>|[[post-punk]]}}
| occupations       = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician}}<!--Please do not add to this list without first discussing your proposal on the talk page. -->
| instruments       = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|melodica}}<!--- If you think an instrument should be listed or removed, a discussion to reach consensus is needed first per: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_musical_artist#instrument--->
| years_active      = 1976–1980
| label             = [[Factory Records|Factory]]
| past_member_of    = [[Joy Division]]
| website           = {{URL|joydivisionofficial.com}}
}}
'''Ian Kevin Curtis''' (15 July 1956&nbsp;– 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the band [[Joy Division]], with whom he released the albums ''[[Unknown Pleasures]]'' (1979) and ''[[Closer (Joy Division album)|Closer]]'' (1980). He was noted for his on-stage behaviour and dancing style influenced by his experiences with [[epilepsy]], as well as his dark [[baritone]] voice.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

Curtis had severe [[epilepsy]] and [[Major depressive disorder|depression]] and died by suicide on the eve of Joy Division's first North American tour, shortly before the release of ''Closer''. Shortly after his death, the three surviving members of the band renamed themselves [[New Order (band)|New Order]]. Despite their short career, Joy Division exerted a wide-reaching influence. John Bush of [[AllMusic]] argues that they "became the first band in the post-punk movement emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing ahead to the rise of melancholy [[Alternative rock|alternative music]] in the '80s".<ref name="Allmusic"/> According to critic [[Simon Reynolds]], Joy Division's influence has extended from contemporaries such as [[U2]] and [[the Cure]] to later acts including [[Radiohead]], [[Interpol (band)|Interpol]], [[Bloc Party]], [[Fontaines D.C.]], and [[Editors (band)|Editors]], as well as rappers including [[Danny Brown]] and [[Vince Staples]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/movies/07reyn.html |title=Music to Brood By, Desolate and Stark |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Reynolds |date=7 October 2007 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=20 July 2013}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/29/joy-division-rap-danny-brown-odd-future-vince-staples|last=Peace|first=Sheldon|date=29 September 2016|title=Unknown pleasures: why rappers like Danny Brown love Joy Division|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=18 May 2020}}</ref>

==Early life==
Ian Kevin Curtis was born at the [[Stretford Memorial Hospital|Memorial Hospital]] in [[Stretford]] on 15 July 1956, and grew up in a [[working-class]] household in [[Macclesfield]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Curtis |first=Deborah |title-link=Touching from a Distance |title=Touching from a Distance. Ian Curtis and Joy Division |year=1995 |edition=2014 |publisher=[[Faber and Faber|Faber]] |location=London |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LmSwBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 |chapter=Chapter 1 |isbn=0-57132241-7 |page=22}}</ref> He was the first of two children born to Doreen and Kevin Curtis.<ref name=":2">''The Life of Ian Curtis: Torn Apart'' {{ISBN|978-0-85712-010-6}} p. 1.</ref> From an early age, he was a bookish and intelligent child, displaying a particular flair for poetry. By passing his 11-Plus exam, sat by all primary school children, he gained a place at the age of 11 at Macclesfield's [[Independent school|boys’ grammar school]] [[The King's School, Macclesfield|The King's School]]. It was here that he developed his interests in philosophy, literature, and eminent poets such as [[Thom Gunn]].<ref>''So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks'' {{ISBN|978-1-452-14650-8}} p. vii.</ref> While at King's School, he was awarded several scholastic awards in recognition of his abilities, particularly at the ages of 15 and 16. The year after Curtis graduated from King's School, the family purchased a house from a relative and moved to [[New Moston]].<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 20</ref>

As a teenager, Curtis chose to perform [[social work|social service]] by visiting the elderly as part of a school programme. While visiting, he and his friends would steal any prescription drugs that they found and later take them together as a group. On one occasion when he was 16,<ref name="Savage" >{{cite news|last=Savage |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Savage |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/dark-star-the-final-days-of-ian-curtis-by-his-joy-division-bandmates-394281.html|title=Dark star: The Final Days of Ian Curtis by his Joy Division Bandmates |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=25 June 2017|date=6 October 2007}}</ref> after consuming a large dosage of [[Chlorpromazine|largactil]] he and his friends had stolen, Curtis was discovered [[unconsciousness|unconscious]]<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 8.</ref> in his bedroom by his father and was taken to hospital to have his [[Gastric lavage|stomach pumped]].<ref name="Butcher" >{{Cite news|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/features/10-things-you-never-knew-about-ian-curtis|title=10 Things You Never Knew About... Ian Curtis|first=Simon |last=Butcher|magazine=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]|date=17 August 2012|access-date=1 August 2016}}</ref>

Curtis had held a keen interest in music since his early teenage years and was influenced by artists such as [[Jim Morrison]] and [[David Bowie]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/aug/31/popandrock.joydivision |title=It felt like someone had ripped out my heart |last=Lester |first=Paul |date=31 August 2007 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=28 February 2018}}</ref> Among Curtis's earliest experiences with music was in a church choir as a young child, in his hometown.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/peter-hook-to-stream-gig-of-every-joy-division-song-in-tribute-to-ian-curtis-macclesfield-permanent-2668540|title=Peter Hook to stream gig of every Joy Division song in tribute to Ian Curtis today |last=Trendell |first=Andrew |date=18 May 2020 |newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=19 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/49278/1/watch-a-three-hour-gig-of-every-joy-division-song-in-tribute-to-ian-curtis|title=Watch a three-hour gig of every Joy Division song in tribute to Ian Curtis |last=Digital |first=Dazed |date=18 May 2020 |newspaper=[[Dazed]] |access-date=19 March 2021}}</ref> Curtis could seldom afford to purchase records, leading him to frequently steal them from local shops.{{refn|group=n|Curtis was a habitual [[shoplifter]] in his adolescent years; he frequently stole albums from Macclesfield town centre by hiding them underneath a long grey coat he wore. He and close friends also regularly stole bottles of [[Distilled beverage|spirits]] from local [[off licence]]s.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 6.</ref>}} By his mid-teens, Curtis had also developed a reputation among his peers as a strong-willed individual, with a keen interest in fashion.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 19.</ref>

Despite gaining nine [[GCE Ordinary Level (United Kingdom)|O-levels]] at King's School<ref>Curtis, p. 6.</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite news |last=Nicolson |first=Barry |url=https://www.nme.com/features/ian-curtis-35-years-to-the-day-of-his-death-why-the-enigmatic-joy-division-frontman-remains-british-757221 |title=Ian Curtis: Why The Enigmatic Joy Division Frontman Remains British Indie's Greatest Unknown Pleasure |newspaper=[[NME]] |date=22 May 2010 |access-date=13 June 2017}}</ref> and briefly studying [[GCE Advanced Level#United Kingdom|A-Levels]] in History and [[Divinity (academic discipline)|Divinity]] at St John's College, Curtis soon became disenchanted with academia and abandoned his studies at St John's College to find a job.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). ch. 3, p. 4.</ref> Nonetheless, Curtis continued to focus on the pursuit of art, literature and music, and would gradually draw lyrical and conceptual inspiration from ever more insidious subjects.<ref>''So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks'' {{ISBN|978-1-452-14650-8}} p. ix</ref>

Curtis obtained a job at a record shop in [[Manchester City Centre]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283262617 |title=Ian Curtis: Punk Rock, Epilepsy, and Suicide |date=10 December 2015 |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref> before obtaining more stable employment within the [[civil service]]. His employment as a civil servant saw Curtis initially deployed to [[Cheadle Hulme]], where he worked for several months with the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]],<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 27.</ref> before he was offered alternative employment within the Manpower Services Commission in a building at [[Piccadilly Gardens]]. He later worked as a civil servant in [[Woodford, Greater Manchester]] although, at his request, approximately one year later<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). ch. 3, p. 6.</ref> Curtis was posted to Macclesfield's [[Jobcentre Plus|Employment Exchange]], where he worked as an Assistant Disablement Resettlement Officer.

On 23 August 1975, Curtis married Deborah Woodruff, to whom he was introduced by a friend, Tony Nuttall.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). pp. 10-11.</ref> Ian and Deborah initially became friends and then began dating in December 1972, when both were 16 years old.<ref>''The Life of Ian Curtis: Torn Apart'' {{ISBN|978-0-85712-010-6}} p. 29</ref>{{refn|group=n|Curtis and Woodruff had become [[Engagement|engaged]] on 17 April 1974.}} Their wedding service was conducted at [[St Thomas' Church, Henbury|St Thomas' Church]] in [[Henbury, Cheshire]]. Curtis was 19 and Woodruff 18. They had one child, a daughter named Natalie, born on 16 April 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://offstories.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/837/ |title=Strengthening Player – The Photographer Natalie Curtis |date=6 October 2012 |publisher=Offside Stories |access-date=22 April 2013}}</ref> Initially, the couple lived with Ian's grandparents, although shortly after their marriage the couple moved to a working-class neighbourhood in [[Chadderton]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/dark-star-the-final-days-of-ian-curtis-by-his-joy-division-bandmates-394281.html|title=Dark star: The final days of Ian Curtis by His Joy Division Bandmates|access-date=5 August 2017|newspaper=The Independent|date=6 October 2007}}</ref> where they paid a mortgage while working in jobs neither enjoyed. Before long, the couple became disillusioned with life in [[Oldham]] and [[remortgage]]d their house<ref>''So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks'' {{ISBN|978-1-452-14650-8}} p. viii</ref> before briefly returning to live with Ian's grandparents. Shortly thereafter, in May 1977, the couple moved into their own house in Barton Street, Macclesfield,<ref name="Savage" /> with one of the rooms of the property becoming colloquially known between the couple as Curtis's "song-writing room".<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 43.</ref>

==Joy Division==
{{main|Joy Division}}
At a July 1976 [[Sex Pistols]] gig at Manchester's [[Lesser Free Trade Hall]], Curtis encountered three childhood school friends named [[Bernard Sumner]], [[Peter Hook]] and Terry Mason.<ref name="auto"/> The trio informed Curtis – whom they had seen at earlier punk gigs at The Electric Circus – of their intentions to form a band<ref name="Savage" /> and Curtis informed them of his then-recent efforts to do likewise,<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 36.</ref> before proposing himself as both their singer and [[lyricist]]. Initially, Mason became the band's drummer, but his rehearsal sessions were largely unproductive and he briefly became the band's manager.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 48.</ref> The group then unsuccessfully attempted to recruit several drummers before selecting [[Stephen Morris (musician)|Stephen Morris]] in August 1977.<ref name="ReferenceB">''Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases'' {{ISBN|0-78642-333-1}} p. 73.</ref> The band was later managed by [[Rob Gretton]], who – having already seen Joy Division perform live at local venues such as [[Rafters (nightclub)|Rafters]] – offered to become their manager in 1978.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). pp. 61-62.</ref>

Initially, the band named themselves "Warsaw", from the song title “Warszawa” on David Bowie's then-recent album ''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]'', but as this name somewhat conflicted with that of a London-based group named Warsaw Pakt they renamed themselves Joy Division.<ref>[http://www.radiox.co.uk/features/previous-names-of-classic-bands/joy-division-warsaw-stiff-kittens/ ''radiox.co.uk'']</ref> This moniker was derived from the 1953 novella ''[[The House of Dolls]]'', which featured a [[Nazi]] [[concentration camp]] with a [[sexual slavery]] wing called the "Joy Division". The cover of [[An Ideal for Living|the band's first EP]] depicted a drawing of a [[Hitler Youth]] beating a drum and the A-side contained a song, "Warsaw", which was a musical retelling of the life of Nazi leader [[Rudolf Hess]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Fox-Bevilacqua |first=Marisa |title=An Unlikely Tribute: How Cult U.K. Band Joy Division Found Inspiration in Auschwitz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-how-joy-division-found-inspiration-in-auschwitz-1.5360552/ |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=15 January 2015 |access-date=19 May 2018}}</ref>

After founding [[Factory Records]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/music/the-20-greatest-british-rock-bands-of-all-time-a3655391.html|title=The 20 Greatest British Rock Bands of All Time|access-date=12 November 2017|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=7 November 2017}}</ref> with [[Alan Erasmus]], [[Tony Wilson]] signed the band to his label following its first appearance on the TV music show he hosted, ''[[So It Goes (TV series)|So It Goes]]'', in September 1978. This appearance had been largely prompted by an abusive letter sent to Wilson by Curtis and saw the band play the song "[[Shadowplay (song)|Shadowplay]]".<ref name="Butcher" />{{refn|group=n|Sections of this live version of "Shadowplay" were broadcast with disused, inverted monochrome footage from a ''[[World in Action]]'' documentary depicting cityscapes superimposed across the footage of the band.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 61.</ref>}}

While performing with Joy Division, Curtis became known for his quiet and awkward demeanour and a unique dancing style<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/joy-division/what-is-shes-lost-control-by-joy-division-about/|title=What Is She's Lost Control By Joy Division About?|date=28 January 2018|via=radiox.co.uk}}</ref> reminiscent of the epileptic seizures he began experiencing in late 1978. Although predominantly a singer, Curtis also played guitar on a handful of tracks (usually when Sumner was playing synthesizer; "Incubation" and a ''[[List of Peel sessions#J|Peel session]]'' version of "[[Transmission (song)|Transmission]]" were rare instances when both Sumner and Curtis played guitar). Initially, Curtis played Sumner's [[Shergold]] Masquerader, but in September 1979 he acquired his own guitar, a [[Vox Phantom]] VI Special which had many built-in effects used both live and in studio.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ian Curtis's Shergold Masquerader |url=http://equipboard.com/pros/ian_curtis/shergold-masquerader |work=equipboard.com |access-date=19 May 2018}}</ref> This included a repeat effect misspelled as "replat" on the control panel. Curtis used the guitar on Joy Division's early 1980 European tour and in the video for "[[Love Will Tear Us Apart]]".<ref name=voxphantom/>

==Personal life==
===Relationships===
Curtis's widow, Deborah, has claimed that in October 1979, Curtis began conducting an affair with the Belgian [[Annik Honoré]], who had been working at the Belgian embassy in London before becoming a journalist and music promoter.<ref name="guardian">{{Cite news |last=Barton |first=Laura |title=I was just besotted |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/apr/11/popandrock.joydivision |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 April 2005 |access-date=14 September 2016}}</ref> They had first met at a gig held in [[Brussels]] that month.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 96.</ref><ref name="Uncut">{{cite news |last=Pinnock |first=Tom |url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/joy-division-we-didnt-know-ian-curtis-was-approaching-his-breaking-point-70344/3 |title=Joy Division: "We didn't know Ian Curtis was approaching his breaking point." |work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |date=21 August 2015 |access-date=23 September 2017}}</ref> Curtis was consumed with guilt over this affair due to being married<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/celebrity-deaths-that-changed-music-history-gone-too-soon-w492394/ian-curtis-w492401| title= Celebrity Deaths that Changed Music History: Gone Too Soon| date= 4 August 2017| author= Brittany Spanos| website= rollingstone.com| access-date= 7 November 2017}}</ref> and the father of their baby daughter, but at the same time still yearning to be with Honoré.<ref name="Bernard Sumner">{{cite news |last=Sumner |first=Bernard |author-link=Bernard Sumner |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/joy-divisions-bernard-sumner-remembering-the-dangerous-path-fellow-bandmate-ian-curtis-was-walking-a6741791.html |title=Joy Division's Bernard Sumner Remembering the Dangerous Path Fellow Bandmate Ian Curtis was Walking |work=The Independent |date=20 November 2015 |access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> On one occasion in 1980, Curtis asked Bernard Sumner to make a decision on his behalf as to whether he should remain with his wife or form a deeper relationship with Honoré; Sumner refused.<ref name="ReferenceA">Curtis, Deborah (1995). ch. 13.</ref> Honoré claimed in a 2010 interview that although she and Curtis had spent extensive periods together, their relationship had been [[Platonic love|platonic]]. Deborah Curtis has maintained that it was a sexual and romantic affair.<ref>{{cite web|author=Joy Division |url=http://joydivision-neworder.blogspot.com/2011/02/ian-curtis-and-annik-honore-dazzling.html |work=Joy Division Bootlegs|title= Ian Curtis and Annik Honoré – the Dazzling History of Joy Division|date=1 February 2011 |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref> His bandmates recollected later that Curtis's friendship with Honoré led him to distance himself and become somewhat "lofty" with them.<ref name="Uncut"/> This distance prompted occasional pranks at Curtis's and Honoré's expense. He became a [[Vegetarianism|vegetarian]], likely at Honoré's behest since he was known to have consumed meat when not in her presence.<ref name="Uncut"/>

===Epilepsy===
Curtis began having [[epileptic seizures]] in late 1978; he was officially diagnosed with the condition on 23 January the following year,<ref>''Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division'' {{ISBN|978-1-84983-360-8}} p. 209.</ref>{{refn|group=n|Curtis may have had epilepsy for several years prior to his diagnosis. His wife later recollected that, following his official diagnosis, he confided in her that, as early as 1972, he had experienced floating sensations as if he had taken drugs when he had not. On other occasions in the early- and mid-1970s, he would have to be supported from venues and premises if disturbed by artificial lights.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283262617 |title=Ian Curtis: Punk Rock, Epilepsy, and Suicide |date=10 December 2015 |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref>}} with his particular case being described by doctors as so severe, his "life would [be] ruled to [[obsolescence]] by his severe epilepsy"<ref name="ReferenceC">''Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures'' {{ISBN|978-0-82641-549-3}} p. 88</ref> without the various strong dosages of medications he was prescribed. Having joined the [[Epilepsy Action|British Epilepsy Association]], Curtis was initially open to discuss his condition with anyone who inquired, although he soon became withdrawn and reluctant to discuss any issue regarding his condition beyond the most mundane and necessary aspects.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 72.</ref> On each occasion it became apparent a particular prescribed medication failed to control Curtis's seizures, his doctor would prescribe a different [[anticonvulsant]] and his wife noted his being "full of renewed enthusiasm" that this particular formulation would help him bring his seizures under control.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 76.</ref>

Throughout 1979 and 1980, Curtis's condition gradually worsened amid the pressure of performances and touring,<ref name="Savage" /> with his seizures becoming more frequent and more intense.<ref>''Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division'' {{ISBN|978-1-84983-360-8}}. p. 244.</ref> Following his diagnosis, Curtis continued to drink, smoke and maintain an irregular sleeping pattern – against the advice given to those with the condition.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> The medications Curtis was prescribed for his condition produced numerous [[side effect]]s, including extreme [[mood swing]]s.<ref name="Savage" /><ref>[http://www.joydiv.org/iancurtis.htm ''joydiv.org'']</ref> This change in personality was also observed by Curtis's wife, family and in-laws, who noted how taciturn he had become in his wife's company.<ref name="ch11">Curtis, Deborah (1995). ch. 11, p. 2.</ref> Following the birth of his daughter in April 1979, because of the severity of his medical condition, Curtis was seldom able to hold his baby daughter in case he compromised her safety.<ref name="ch11"/>
{{quote box
| quote = "He saw [Joy Division] going on without him. He felt very removed from it. With the epilepsy, he just knew he couldn't carry on with the performances. He'd sort of hit a pinnacle with ''Closer'', and he knew he couldn't go on."
| source = —Lindsay Reade, on Curtis's brief period of recuperation at her rural [[Bury, Greater Manchester|Bury]] household shortly before his suicide in May 1980.<ref name="Uncut"/>
| width = 35em
| salign = right
}}
At the time of the recording of the band's second album, Curtis's condition was particularly severe, with him enduring a weekly average of two [[generalised tonic-clonic seizure#Phases|tonic-clonic seizures]].<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mia_Tuft/publication/283262617_Ian_Curtis_Punk_rock_epilepsy_and_suicide/links/56408ccc08aef2be8e04e7d6/Ian-Curtis-Punk-rock-epilepsy-and-suicide.pdf ''researchgate.net'']</ref> On one occasion during these recordings, Curtis's bandmates became concerned when they noted he had been absent from the recording studio for two hours.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/ian-curtis-remembered-joy-division-and-his-loved-ones-their-own-words-461113 |title=Ian Curtis remembered by Joy Division and loved ones in their own words |date=18 May 2016 |work=Newsweek |access-date=28 February 2018 |language=en}}</ref> The band's bassist, Peter Hook, discovered Curtis [[Unconsciousness|unconscious]] on the floor of the studio's toilets, having hit his head on a sink following a seizure.<ref name="Guardian" >{{cite news |last=Hook |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Hook |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/14/joy-division-ian-curtis-suicide |title=Joy Division's Ian Curtis Commits Suicide |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=25 June 2017 |date=14 June 2011}}</ref> Despite instances such as this, Hook stated that, largely through ignorance of the condition, he, Sumner and Morris did not know how to help. Nonetheless, Hook was adamant that Curtis never wanted to upset or concern his bandmates, and would "tell [us] what [we] wanted to hear" if they expressed any concern as to his condition.<ref name="Guardian" /> In one incident, at a concert held before almost 3,000 people at [[Rainbow Theatre|the Rainbow]] in [[Finsbury Park]] in April 1980, the [[lighting technician]]s at the venue – contrary to instructions given to them by Rob Gretton prior to the gig – switched on [[strobe light]]s midway through Joy Division's performance, causing Curtis to almost immediately stagger backwards and collapse against Stephen Morris's drum kit in the throes of an evident [[Photosensitive epilepsy|photosensitive seizure]]. He had to be carried offstage to the band's dressing room to recuperate.<ref name="Tonino Cagnucci">{{cite web| url= https://disordertc.wordpress.com/tag/torn-apart-the-life-of-ian-curtis/| title= Disorder and Other Unknown Pleasures| date= 4 April 2015| author= Tonino Cagnucci| access-date= 2 August 2017}}</ref>

When Curtis had recovered from this first seizure, he was adamant the band travel to [[West Hampstead]] to honour their commitment to perform their second gig of the evening at this location, although some 25 minutes into this second gig, Curtis's "dancing started to lose its rhythmic sense and change into something else entirely" before he collapsed to the floor and experienced the most violent seizure he had endured to date.<ref name="Tonino Cagnucci"/>

===Stage performances===
Curtis's onstage dancing was often reminiscent of the seizures he experienced<ref>Curtis, p. 114.</ref> and has been termed by some to be his "epilepsy dance".<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.gigwise.com/news/107004/ian-curtis-joy-division-dancing-tribute-anniversary-of-death| title= Explore the Strange, Wonderful Dancing of Joy Division's Ian Curtis| date= 18 May 2016| author=Alexandra Pollard| website= Gigwise.com| access-date= 25 September 2017}}</ref> Throughout Joy Division's live performances in 1979 and 1980, Curtis collapsed several times while performing and had to be carried off stage.<ref>Curtis, p. 113.</ref> To minimise any possibility of Curtis having epileptic seizures, flashing lights were prohibited at Joy Division gigs; despite these measures, Bernard Sumner later stated that certain percussion effects would cause Curtis to have a seizure.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lester |first=Paul |date=November 2007 |title=Torn Apart: The Legend of Joy Division |magazine=[[Record Collector]]}}</ref> In April 1980,<ref name="p126">Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 126.</ref> Terry Mason was appointed as a minder to ensure Curtis took his prescribed medications, avoided alcohol consumption and got sufficient sleep.<ref name="p126"/>

Regarding the [[choreography]] of Curtis's stage performances, [[Greil Marcus]] in ''The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs'' quotes [[Jon Savage]] from ''[[Melody Maker]]'': "Ian's mesmeric style mirrored the ever more frequent epileptic spasms that Deborah Curtis had to cope with at home."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Savage |first=Jon |title=Joy Division: 'Unknown Pleasures |journal=[[Melody Maker]] |date=21 July 1979}}</ref> Marcus remarked that Curtis's performance "might also have been a matter of intentionally replicating fits, re-enacting them, using them as a form of energy and a form of music."<ref>{{Cite book|title = The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs|url = https://archive.org/details/historyofrocknro0000marc|url-access = registration|last = Marcus|first = Greil |publisher = [[Yale University Press]]|year = 2014|location = New Heaven & London|pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyofrocknro0000marc/page/44 44]}}</ref> In addition to his epilepsy dance, Curtis was known for other on-stage moves such as pulling wooden tiles off the stage and throwing them into the audience. Peter Hook recalled, “He [Curtis] dropped a pint pot on the stage, it smashed, and he rolled around in the broken glass, cutting a ten-inch gash in his thigh.”<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Butcher |first=Simon |date=August 17, 2012 |title=10 Things You Never Knew About… Ian Curtis |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/10-things-you-never-knew-about-ian-curtis/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |website=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref>

Along with his stage performances, Curtis was known for his fashion on the stage particularly for his “crumpled shirts, tailored trousers, leather shoes”.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AnotherMan |date=2019-08-12 |title=The Subversive Normality of Ian Curtis' Style |url=https://www.anothermanmag.com/style-grooming/10919/ian-curtis-joy-division-lead-singer-frontman-style-fashion |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=AnotherMan |language=en}}</ref>

Curtis's final live performance with Joy Division was on 2 May 1980 at the High Hall of the [[University of Birmingham]] and included Joy Division's first and only performance of "[[Ceremony (New Order song)|Ceremony]]", later recorded by [[New Order (band)|New Order]] and released as their debut single. The final song Curtis performed on stage with Joy Division prior to his death was "[[Digital (Joy Division song)|Digital]]".{{refn|group=n|The recording of this performance was later included on the 1981 [[compilation album]] ''[[Still (Joy Division album)|Still]]''.<ref>[http://www.joydiv.org/c020580.htm Joy Division Concert: 2 May 1980] Joy Division Central</ref>}}

===Depression and initial suicide attempt===
Following Curtis's first definite [[suicide attempt]] on 6 April 1980, Tony Wilson and his partner, Lindsay – expressing deep concerns as to Joy Division's intense touring schedule being detrimental to Curtis's physical and mental well-being<ref>''Mr Manchester and the Factory Girl: The Story of Tony and Lindsay Wilson'' {{ISBN|978-0-859-65875-1}} ch. 22</ref> – invited him to recuperate at their cottage in [[Charlesworth, Derbyshire|Charlesworth]] in [[Derbyshire]]. While there, he is known to have written several letters to Honoré, proclaiming his love for her as he recuperated.<ref name="Uncut"/>{{refn|group=n|This first definite suicide attempt was an overdose of [[barbiturate]]s. After he had consumed these tablets, and having written an initial [[suicide note]], (which Rob Gretton later disallowed Deborah Curtis to actually view),<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). pp. 115-116.</ref> he informed his wife what he had done, and she in turn phoned an ambulance. Curtis later stated that he had phoned his wife because he feared he had not consumed enough tablets for the attempt to be successful, and that he would be left with brain damage. Before this instance, he did once slash his wrists while drunk, although his bandmates remain unconvinced this attempt was serious.}}

By early 1980, Curtis's marriage to Deborah was floundering, as she had commenced divorce proceedings after he had failed to cease all contact with Honoré.<ref name="guardian"/><ref>''Suicide Movies: Social Patterns 1900-2009'' {{ISBN|978-1-616-76390-9}} p. 227</ref>{{refn|group=n|Deborah Curtis and her daughter had moved into her parents' home in early 1980.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>}} Curtis enjoyed solitude, but had never been mentally equipped for living alone.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 125.</ref> He was having difficulty balancing his family obligations with his musical ambitions and his health was gradually worsening as a result of his epilepsy, thus increasing his dependency upon others.<ref name="guardian"/> On the evening before his death, Curtis informed Bernard Sumner of his insistence upon seeing his wife that evening.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 128.</ref> He had also made plans to rendezvous with his bandmates at [[Manchester Airport]] the following day, before their departure for America.<ref name="Bernard Sumner"/>

==Death==
[[File:Ian Curtis grave marker with mementoes.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Curtis's grave marker at [[Macclesfield Cemetery]]|alt=A greyish stone block with "Ian Curtis 18-5-80 Love Will Tear Us Apart" carved into it in a [[sans-serif]] typeface. There are several small pots of flowers and other objects on top.]]
{{quote box
| quote = "Strange as it may sound, it wasn't until after his death that we really listened to Ian's lyrics and clearly heard the inner turmoil in them."
| source = —[[Bernard Sumner]], reflecting in November 2015 on the lyrics Curtis had written for Joy Division's second and final album, ''[[Closer (Joy Division album)|Closer]]''<ref name=nyt>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/t-magazine/bernard-sumner-joy-division-book.html|title=Bernard Sumner on Ian Curtis and His Joy Division Bandmates|access-date=13 September 2017|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=2 November 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107034114/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/t-magazine/bernard-sumner-joy-division-book.html|archivedate=2015-11-07}}</ref>
| width = 35em
| salign = right
}}

[[File:Ian Curtis In A Lonely Place.mp3|thumb|right|An audio excerpt from "In a Lonely Place", one of the few songs recorded by the band before Ian Curtis' death. New Order would remake both this and "Ceremony".]]

On the evening of 17 May 1980, Curtis asked Deborah to drop her impending divorce proceedings; she replied that it was likely that he would have changed his mind by the following morning and then – mindful of his previous suicide attempt and also concerned that his state of [[anxiety]] and frustration might drive Curtis into an epileptic seizure – offered to spend the night in his company.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 131.</ref> Deborah then drove to her parents' home to inform them of her intentions. When she returned to the couple's home at 77 Barton Street in Macclesfield, his demeanour had changed and he informed his wife of his intentions to spend the night alone, first making her promise not to return to the house before he had taken his scheduled 10 a.m. train to Manchester to meet his bandmates.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). pp. 131-132.</ref>

In the early hours of the next morning, Curtis took his own life. He was 23.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/may/17/ian-curtis-joy-division-wak "Joy Division walking tour to bring fans closer to unknown pleasures"], ''The Guardian'', 17 May 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2015.</ref> He had used the kitchen's [[Clothes line|washing line]] to hang himself after having written a note to Deborah in which he declared his love for her despite his recent affair with Honoré.{{refn|group=n|In this suicide note, Curtis recollected his life with Deborah and recounted his love for her. He also claimed that he could not be so cruel to Annik as to inform her he did not wish to see her again even if his marriage depended upon it. By the time Curtis had finished writing the note, he stated it was dawn and he could "hear the birds singing".<ref name="p133">Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 133.</ref>}}<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Deborah found his body soon after. In her biography, ''[[Touching from a Distance]]'',<ref name=":0">{{cite news|title='Control': A Refreshingly Stripped-down Look at Troubled Joy Division Singer |date=19 October 2007 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=20071019&id=Ef1RAAAAIBAJ&pg=2110,59294394 |publisher=Lodi News-Sentinel |access-date=11 February 2018}}</ref> Deborah recalls finding her husband's body and initially thinking that he was still alive before noticing the rope around his neck.<ref name="p133"/> According to Tony Wilson,<ref name="auto1">''The Rough Guide to Rock'' {{ISBN|1-858-28457-0}} p. 552.</ref> Curtis spent the few hours before his suicide watching [[Werner Herzog]]'s 1977 film ''[[Stroszek]]'' and listening to [[Iggy Pop]]'s 1977 album ''[[The Idiot (album)|The Idiot]]''.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Stark notes the significance of this album, as Pop's title was inspired by [[Fyodor Dostoevsky|Dostoyevsky's]] novel ''[[The Idiot]]'' about the spiritually sensitive epileptic prince who was driven mad by the tragic and violent society in which he lived.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stark |first=Tanja |title=Dostoyevsky and the Epileptic Prince |url=https://tanjastark.com/2016/04/22/dostoyesvksy-and-the-epileptic-prince-rip/ |website=www.tanjastark.com|date=22 April 2016 }}</ref> His wife recollected that he had taken photographs of their wedding and their baby daughter off the walls, apparently to view them as he composed a note.<ref name="p133"/> In the note, he did not state that he was going to kill himself, and asked Deborah not to contact him for a while. It is not clear whether Curtis intended this to be a suicide note.<ref name=":0" />

At the time of Curtis's suicide, Joy Division were on the eve of their debut North American tour. Deborah has stated that Curtis had viewed the upcoming tour with extreme trepidation, not only because of his extreme fear of flying (he had wanted to travel by ship) but also because he had expressed deep concerns as to how American audiences would react to his epilepsy.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Deborah has also claimed that Curtis had confided in her on several occasions that he held no desire to live past his early twenties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.omahype.com/2012/09/joy-division/|title=Joy Division|website=omahype.com|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anothermag.com/current/view/1897/Ian_Curtis|title=Ian Curtis's Stark Utilitarian Style|last=AnOther|website=anothermag.com|date=13 April 2012|access-date=15 June 2017|archive-date=29 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129035000/http://www.anothermag.com/current/view/1897/Ian_Curtis|url-status=dead}}</ref> He had expressed to both Deborah and Honoré his deep concerns that his medical condition was likely to kill him,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/discoverpsychiatry/mindsonfilmblog/control.aspx | title=Improving the Lives of People with Mental Illness| publisher=rcpsych.ac.uk| date=23 July 2013 | access-date=4 September 2017}}</ref> in addition to causing him to receive mockery from audiences,<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283262617| title= Ian Curtis: Punk Rock, Epilepsy and Suicide| date= 9 November 2015| author= Mia Tuft| website= researchgate.net| access-date= 17 August 2017}}</ref> and that this mockery would only increase when performing before American audiences on the upcoming tour.{{refn|group=n|Deborah Curtis wrote in her 1995 biography ''Touching from a Distance'' that Ian had carefully chosen the date of his suicide, stating: "I believe Ian chose his deadline. It was important for him to keep up the charade in front of the band in case they tried to dissuade him. The only reason he was no longer worried about the American trip was because he knew he wasn't going."<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 129.</ref>}}

According to Lindsay Reade, Curtis had informed her shortly before his death of his belief that, with his epilepsy, he could no longer perform live with the band. Additionally, he had claimed that with the impending release of ''Closer'', he believed the band had hit an artistic pinnacle.<ref name="Uncut"/>

In a 2007 interview with ''The Guardian'', Stephen Morris expressed regret that nobody had realised during Curtis's life the distress he was in, even though it was evident in his lyrics.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/music-2/five-best-ways-remember-joy-division-frontman-ian-curtis/| title= Five of the Best Ways to Remember Joy Division Frontman Ian Curtis| date= 18 May 2015| author= Shelley Jones| website= huckmagazine.com| access-date= 22 September 2017}}</ref>{{refn|group=n|In a 1987 interview given to ''[[Option (music magazine)|Option]]'', Morris was asked to comment on how he would describe Curtis to those who asked him just what he was like. In response, he replied: "An ordinary bloke just like you or me, liked a bit of a laugh, a bit of a joke."<ref name="Woodard">{{Cite journal |last=Woodard |first=Josef |title=Out From The Shadows: New Order |journal=Option |date=November–December 1987}}</ref>}} Bassist Peter Hook reflected on the tragedy of the timing of Curtis's death, just before what might have been a breakthrough to fame.<ref name="auto1"/> Hook also claimed that, prior to the release of the 2007 documentary ''[[Joy Division (2007 film)|Joy Division]]'', a specialist in epilepsy had viewed the combination of drugs that Curtis had been prescribed for his condition and expressed concerns about the drugs' safety.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/266342-peter-hook/|title=Inside Joy Division With Peter Hook|website=wnyc.org|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Gravestone of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division (close up).jpg|thumb|right|Close-up of Curtis's gravestone]]

Curtis's body was cremated at Macclesfield Crematorium on 23 May 1980, and his ashes were buried at [[Macclesfield Cemetery]]. A memorial stone, inscribed with "Ian Curtis 18–5–80" and "[[Love Will Tear Us Apart]]", was placed above his ashes.<ref name=beaumont/>{{refn|group=n|Due to union disputes, following Curtis's suicide the music video the band had recorded for "[[Love Will Tear Us Apart]]" was not broadcast on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 138.</ref>}} This memorial stone was stolen in mid-2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ian Curtis memorial stone stolen |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7486280.stm |work=[[BBC News]]|date = 2 July 2008 |access-date =3 July 2008}}</ref> A replacement, bearing the same inscription but in a sans-serif typeface, was placed in the same location.<ref name="New stone laid at Curtis memorial">{{cite news |title=New stone laid at Curtis memorial |url=http://www.macclesfield-express.co.uk/news/s/1060415_new_stone_laid_at_curtis_memorial |date=30 July 2008 |access-date=22 January 2009|work=[[Macclesfield Express]]|publisher=[[Manchester Evening News|MEN Media]]}}</ref> A central "mowing" stone used to hold floral tributes was reported stolen from the grave in August 2019.<ref name=beaumont>{{cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |title=Stone stolen from grave of Joy Division's Ian Curtis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/06/stone-stolen-from-grave-of-joy-division-ian-curtis |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=6 August 2019 |access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref>

==Legacy==
===New Order===
{{main|New Order (band)}}
Shortly after Curtis's cremation, Sumner, Hook and Morris – strongly aided by Rob Gretton – formed a new band. Initially calling themselves "The No Names" and playing largely instrumental tracks, they soon became "New Order".<ref>''The Life of Ian Curtis: Torn Apart'' {{ISBN|978-0-857-12010-6}} ch. 21</ref> Shortly after Curtis's death, Bernard Sumner inherited the Vox Phantom VI Special guitar Ian Curtis had acquired in September 1979; he used this instrument in several early New Order songs, including the single "[[Everything's Gone Green]]".<ref name=voxphantom>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/ian-curtiss-joy-division-vox-phantom-vi-special-guitar-is-up-for-auction|title=Ian Curtis's Joy Division Vox Phantom VI Special guitar is up for auction|magazine=Music Radar|date=September 2020|access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref>

===Tributes===
Numerous New Order songs reference or pay tribute to Curtis. The tracks "ICB" (an abbreviation of 'Ian Curtis, Buried') and "The Him" from their debut album ''[[Movement (New Order album)|Movement]]'' both refer to his passing. The instrumental track "[[Elegia (New Order song)|Elegia]]", released in 1985, was also written in his memory,<ref>{{cite web | last = Singh | first = Amrit | title = New Order "Elegia" | publisher = [[Stereogum]] | date = 13 April 2012 | url = https://www.stereogum.com/1000921/new-order-elegia-full-18-min-version/mp3s/}}</ref> while the 2002 song "[[Here to Stay (New Order song)|Here to Stay]]" was dedicated to Curtis as well as Rob Gretton and [[Martin Hannett]].

Joy Division labelmates [[the Durutti Column]] paid tribute to Curtis in the form of "The Missing Boy", which appeared on their 1981 album ''[[LC (album)|LC]]''. In 1990, [[Psychic TV]] released "I.C. Water", which was dedicated to Curtis. In 1999, the post-hardcore band [[Thursday (band)|Thursday]] released a song titled "Ian Curtis" on their debut album, ''[[Waiting (Thursday album)|Waiting]]'', while in 2003, [[Xiu Xiu]] released the track "Ian Curtis Wishlist" on their second album, ''[[A Promise (Xiu Xiu album)|A Promise]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/xiu-xiu/a-promise.htm|title=Xiu Xiu: A Promise|work=[[Stylus Magazine]]|date=1 September 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228211557/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/xiu-xiu/a-promise.htm|archive-date=28 December 2007|first=Ed |last=Howard}}</ref>

Deborah Curtis has written a biographical account of their marriage, ''Touching from a Distance'', which was first published in 1995. This biography details in part his relationship with Annik Honoré. Authors Mick Middles and Lindsay Reade released the book ''Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis'' in 2006. This biography takes a more intimate look at Curtis and includes photographs from personal family albums and excerpts from his letters to Honoré during their relationship. Music journalist [[Paul Morley]] wrote ''Joy Division, Piece by Piece, writing about Joy Division 1977–2007''; it was published in late 2007. The book documents all of his writings and reviews about Joy Division, from their formation until Tony Wilson's death.

The words "Ian Curtis Lives" are written on a wall in Wallace Street, [[Wellington]], New Zealand.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@-41.3036351,174.7749007,3a,28.4y,233.79h,85.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSZb7TxP_YKit8nAMKlcIGw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656|title = Google Maps}}</ref> The message, which appeared shortly after the singer's death in 1980, is repainted whenever it is painted over. A nearby wall on the same street on 4 January 2005 was originally emblazoned "Ian Curtis RIP", later modified to read "Ian Curtis RIP Walk in Silence" along with the incorrect dates "1960–1980".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Wallace+Street+in+Wellington,+New+Zealand,&ll=-41.303651,174.775392&spn=0.000997,0.002336&oe=utf-8&hnear=Wallace+St,+Mt+Cook,+Wellington,+New+Zealand&gl=uk&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=-41.303651,174.774881&panoid=5i7hhiJQRKOvGAPBSV519w&cbp=12,241.88,,0,14.02|title=Wallace Street, Wellington on Google Maps|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=17 June 2013}}</ref> Both are referred to as "The Ian Curtis Wall".<ref>{{cite web |author=Steve McKinlay |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/28643192@N00/1998098614/ |title=Mother, I tried, please believe me |website=[[Flickr]] |date=5 January 2005 |access-date=25 September 2010}}</ref> On 10 September 2009, the wall was painted over by Wellington City Council's anti-graffiti team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2857052/Killjoy-division-cleans-up-Ian-Curtis-wall |title=Killjoy division cleans up 'Ian Curtis wall' |first=Kelly|last=Burns |publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]|website=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |date=12 September 2009 |access-date=30 October 2011}}</ref> The wall was chalked back up on 16 September 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2872027/Wellington-punk-art-wall-rises-again |title=Wellington punk art wall rises again |publisher=Fairfax Media|website=Stuff.co.nz |date=17 September 2009 |access-date=30 October 2011}}</ref> The wall was repainted on 17 September 2009, and has been removed and repainted on and off. A new and improved design, with correct dates and the original "Walk in Silence", was painted on the wall on 27 February 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/8345756/Artist-plans-to-resurrect-singers-street-memorial|title=Artist plans to resurrect singer's street memorial |first=Kerry |last= McBride|newspaper=[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|Dominion Post]]|date=25 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Etuata |first=Tom |date=2019-07-30 |title=Walking in Silence on Wallace Street. The Ian Curtis Wall. |url=https://www.museumswellington.org.nz/walking-in-silence-on-wallace-street-the-ian-curtis-wall/ |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=Museums Wellington |language=en-GB}}</ref> In October 2020, in line with Manchester music and mental wellbeing festival Headstock, a large mural depicting a black and white portrait of Ian Curtis was painted on the side of a building on Port Street in Manchester's [[Northern Quarter (Manchester)|Northern Quarter]] by street artist Akse P19.<ref>{{cite web| last= Heward| first= Emily| title= Ian Curtis mural takes shape in Northern Quarter ahead of mental health music festival | url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/ian-curtis-mural-takes-shape-19062985 | date= 7 October 2020| website= [[Manchester Evening News]]| access-date= 10 October 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title= World Mental Health Day: Mural painted of Manchester icon Ian Curtis| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-manchester-54479621 | date= 10 October 2020| website= [[BBC News Online]]| access-date= 10 October 2020 }}</ref>

In 2012, Curtis was among the [[Culture of the United Kingdom|British cultural icons]] selected by artist [[Peter Blake (artist)|Peter Blake]] to appear in a new version of the Beatles' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' album cover.<ref>{{cite news|title=New faces on Sgt Pepper album cover for artist Peter Blake's 80th birthday|url= https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/apr/02/peter-blake-sgt-pepper-cover-revisited|agency=The Guardian|date= 2016}}</ref>

===Film portrayals===
Curtis was portrayed by [[Sean Harris]] in the 2002 film ''[[24 Hour Party People]]'', which dramatised the rise and fall of Factory Records from the 1970s to the 1990s.

In 2007, a biographical film titled ''[[Control (2007 film)|Control]]'' about Curtis was released. This film was largely based upon Deborah Curtis's book ''Touching from a Distance''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/mubi/Control/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/mubi/Control/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Taking Control: Telling the Ian Curtis Story|access-date=26 July 2017|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=12 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The film was directed by the Dutch rock photographer and music video director [[Anton Corbijn]], who had previously photographed the band and directed the video for their single "[[Atmosphere (Joy Division song)|Atmosphere]]". Deborah Curtis and Tony Wilson were executive producers. [[Sam Riley]], the lead singer of the band [[10,000 Things]], portrays Curtis, while [[Samantha Morton]] plays his wife, Deborah.

''Control'' was debuted at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] on 17 May 2007 and received three awards at the [[Directors' Fortnight]]. ''Control'' portrays Curtis's secondary school romance with Deborah, their marriage, his problems balancing his domestic life with his rise to fame, his struggles with both his major depressive issues and his poorly medicated epilepsy and his later relationship with Annik Honoré.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://joydivision-neworder.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/ian-curtis-and-annik-honore-dazzling.html|title=Joy Division Bootlegs: "Ian Curtis and Annik Honoré - the Dazzling History of Joy Division"|first=Joy|last=Division|date=1 February 2011|website=joydivision-neworder.blogspot.com.au|access-date=15 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=3698 |title=Biopic avoids venerating troubled artist antihero |author=Tim Kroenert |work=Eureka Street|date=31 October 2007 |access-date=31 October 2011}}</ref>

===77 Barton Street===
[[File:Barton street 77 (2631371178).jpg|right|thumb|77 Barton Street, [[Macclesfield]], seen here in 2008. The living room is to the right of the white front door and the kitchen, where Ian Curtis died, is behind the window to the left.]]

In 2014, the house in which Curtis ended his life went on sale. Upon hearing this news, a fan initiated a campaign via [[Indiegogo]] to raise funds to purchase the house with intentions to preserve the property as a  museum to Curtis and Joy Division.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ian-curtis-museum#/|title=Ian Curtis Museum|publisher=[[Indiegogo]]|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref> The campaign only raised £2,000 out of the intended final goal £150,000. The money raised was later donated to [[Epilepsy Society|the Epilepsy Society]] and [[Mind (charity)|MIND]] charities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ian-curtis-museum#/updates|title=Ian Curtis Museum (Updates)|publisher=Indiegogo|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref>

Upon hearing of the failure of this project, an entrepreneur and musician named Hadar Goldman purchased the property, offering to pay a £75,000 compensation fee on top of the requested house price of £125,000 in order to secure the purchase of 77 Barton Street and thus reverse the transacted sale from a private purchaser, which at the time was already in progress.<ref name="Jonze">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2015/oct/04/ian-curtis-house-joy-division-museum |title=The man who bought Ian Curtis's house: 'Joy Division is the modern Rembrandt' |last=Jonze |first=Tim |date=4 October 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077 |access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref> Justifying his decision, Goldman stated he intended the property to act as a Joy Division museum and as a digital hub to support musicians and other artists worldwide.<ref name="Jonze"/><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/joy-division-fan-to-turn-ian-curtis-home-into-museum-20150521 |title=Joy Division Fan to Turn Ian Curtis's Home into Museum |last=Blistein |first=Jon |newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=21 May 2015 |access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/21/joy-division-fan-plans-museum-after-buying-former-home-of-ian-curtis|title=Joy Division Fan Plans Museum after Buying Former Home of Ian Curtis |access-date=12 November 2017|newspaper=The Guardian|date=21 May 2015}}</ref> As of 2024, this planned museum has not come to fruition.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/ian-curtis-what-came-planned-21945749 | title=In search of the elusive Ian Curtis museum at house he died in | date=23 October 2021 }}</ref>

==Discography==
===with Joy Division===
* ''[[Unknown Pleasures]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Closer (Joy Division album)|Closer]]'' (1980)

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Curtis |first=Ian |author-link=Ian Curtis |year=2014 |title=So This is Permanence. Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2RA3BAAAQBAJ |editor-last1=Savage |editor-first1=Jon |editor-link1=Jon Savage |editor-last2=Curtis |editor-first2=Deborah |publisher=[[Faber & Faber]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-571-30958-0}}
* Edge, Brian (1984) ''Pleasures and Wayward Distractions'', Omnibus Press; {{ISBN|0-71191439-7}}
* Heylin, Clinton and Wood, Craig (1988) ''Joy Division: Form (and Substance)'', Sound Pub; {{ISBN|1-87140700-1}}
* Middles, Mick (1996) ''From Joy Division to New Order'', Virgin Books; {{ISBN|0-7535-06386}}
* Middles, Mick and Reade, Lindsay (2006) ''Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis'', Omnibus Press; {{ISBN|1-84449826-3}}
* {{cite book | author-link = Jon Savage | last=Savage |first=Jon |title=So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks |publisher=[[Faber & Faber]] |year=2014 |isbn= 978-0-5713-0955-9}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ian Curtis}}
* [http://www.joydiv.org/iancurtis.htm Ian Curtis biography] at Joy Division Central
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00b4wty ''Great Lives: Ian Curtis''] at [[BBC Radio 4]]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000073046}}
* [https://www.joydiv.org/18may/ian_curtisshouse2.htm ''Images''] of the interior of 77 Barton Street

{{Joy Division}}
{{Goth subculture}}

{{Authority control}}

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