You are in > manchester.com  > News > Manchester's famous son dies of cancer

General Manchester news

Manchester's famous son dies of cancer

13/08/2007

Manchester music mogul Tony Wilson, who relentlessly promoted the Manchester cultural scene, has died of a heart attack brought about by ongoing kidney cancer.

Salford-born Wilson, who set up the Factory Records label that launched the careers of the Happy Mondays, New Order and Joy Division, passed away in hospital on the evening of August 10th.

"Tony Wilson died peacefully at the Christie Hospital at 18.05 BST this evening with his family by his bedside," said a hospital spokesperson.

After graduating from Cambridge, he became a Granada news reporter and later went on to start his own record label, Factory Records, as well as the infamous Hacienda nightclub.

Phil Saxe, who worked at Factory Records with Wilson, told the BBC: "Tony was a genius, basically. He was a visionary in that he helped bands, who otherwise wouldn't have made it, who were a bit out of the ordinary.

"He helped them realise their dreams and through that probably realised himself to be Mr Manchester."

In 2002, Michael Winterbottom directed a film called 24 Hour Party People which was based around the notorious Hacienda club and featured Steve Coogan as Wilson.

In later years, Wilson worked hard to promote Greater Manchester and the north-west and was a keen supporter of regional government. He also hosted the regional section of BBC One's Politics Show in 2006.

Wilson, who never made any money from the Hacienda, claimed he was unable to afford the cancer drug Sunitinib, which would have cost him £3,500 a month.

The treatment was not funded by the Manchester Primary Care Trust, despite the fact that it was free of charge in neighbouring Cheshire.



© Adfero Ltd